New in Town
by Pokeyonekenobie
Summary: The new boy in town has a dark secret. Can his new friends help him before it's too late? AU, Shonen ai. See A/N in Prologue for warnings.
1. Prologue

**A/N: Okay, so I haven't quite finished this one but I know where it's going so I think I'm going to start posting. It will not be updated as often as Sandrock's Rhapsody as I don't think it will be that long and I kind of wanted to get another story going just to see what people think. **

**This story is AU, shonen ai, NOT yaoi. The M rating is due to swearing, physical and mental abuse and nongraphic mention of NCS.**

**DISCLAIMER: I do not now, nor will I ever, own Gundam Wing or the Characters contained therein. More's the pity.**

* * *

**Prologue**

"Hey 'Fei! New neighbors?"

Wufei Chang glared at the lean boy sauntering up the sidewalk.

"Very astute, Maxwell."

Duo Maxwell grinned at the scowling Chinese boy. Wufei shook his head. Duo had three very distinguishing traits: a braid down to his thighs, violet eyes, and an irrepressible good mood. No matter the situation, he had a grin and a joke to go along with it.

This morning he was dressing in knee-length black basketball shorts with white trim, a black tank top and black sneakers, and was carrying a basketball under his arm. Drawing level with Wufei, Duo turned to watch the house across the street. There was a moving van pulled up so close to the garage that whoever was unloading it was hidden from view.

"They got any kids?"

"I'm not sure. My father spoke to someone earlier, but have no desire to ask him what he learned."

"Hmmm….well, since school starts on Monday I suggest we make the most of this beautiful Thursday. Come on, 'Ro and Tro' are meetin' us at the park."

Wufei rolled his eyes. Duo had a habit of shortening everyone's name down to one syllable. He supposed it was because Duo's name was impossible to shorten to one syllable despite it's only having three letters.

"Fine. Give me a moment to change."

Duo waited on Wufei's front porch as he changed, watching for any signs that the house across the street would have someone their age moving in. Wufei came out and the two wandered up the street towards the park where their friends were waiting. Had either looked at the upper windows of the house across the street, they'd have seen the curtain fall back into place.


	2. Chapter 1

**As with my other story, the disclaimer applies to all chapters and the chapters are determined by the story, so they will vary in length.**

**Thank you so much for reading and be sure to check out my other story.**

**Enjoy.**

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**Chapter 1**

The weekend passed quickly, much to Duo's dismay. Sunday afternoon found them at the park again for one last game of basketball before the start of the school year.

"Hey, Maxwell, how about a 5 on 5 game today?"

Duo looked up to see Derrick Nichols flanked by four other boys. Derrick attended Alliance High across town and their basketball team had lost the State Champion to Colony High last year. Duo was co-captains of Colony High's team with Heero Yuy. Trowa Barton and Wufei were on the team as well, but Will, the player who finished off their usual group had moved away at the end of last season. They had been playing a man short all summer, usually resorting to playing 2 on 2 instead of fully organized games.

"Yeah, well, Nichols, we're a guy short for that."

"Whatsamatter? Scared you'll lose? They ought to change your school's mascot to the Chicken Wing."

"Shut it, Nichols," Wufei growled, his temper on the rise. The jibe wasn't new, but it was getting old.

"Awww…did I offend Team Wing?"

"Your very presence is an offense, but we'll forgive you this time," Duo stated casually.

Nichols scowled. "Well I guess since you're obviously too scared to play against us—"

"We're not afraid of anything," Heero said calmly. "We'll play you."

Duo nudged Heero with his elbow. "Dude, you sure this is a good idea? They've got more players than us, they'll be at an advantage."

Heero shrugged. "We could always ask _him_ to play."

Duo followed Heero's line of sight to see a blonde boy wandering through the park. He seemed to be about their age. He was not dressed for basketball, though, wearing long jeans and a blue long-sleeved shirt.

"D'you know him?"

"Nope. Never seen him before."

"He's not exactly dressed to play. He's gotta be cookin' in that getup. Long sleeves in this weather?"

"He's got on tennis shoes. That's really all that matters."

Duo rolled his eyes. "What if he's no good?"

"Doesn't matter. We just need someone to guard their fifth man."

"Kinda small for that, don't you think?"

Heero shrugged again causing Duo to sigh. "Fine. I'll go ask him, but if he sucks it's on your head."

Duo jogged the short distance to the blonde. "Hey kid, wanna play some basketball?"

The boy's head jerked up as if surprised that anyone would address him. "Who, me?"

Duo gave him a once over, noting that not only was his shirt long sleeved, but it was a button up, not exactly sports friendly. But he had told Heero he'd ask the boy to play. "Yeah. We wanna play 5 on 5, but we're a guy short. Wanna fill in or what?"

"Um, I'm not very good."

"That's okay. We really just need someone who can guard one of their players so they don't have a free guy. You know the basics, right?"

The blonde nodded and Duo grinned. "Great. What's your name, kid?"

"Quatre."

"Name's Duo. Come on, I'll introduce you to the other guys."

Quatre followed Duo back to the court. Heero noted the slightly scared expression on the blonde.

"Duo," Heero hissed, grabbing Duo's arm and pulling him aside. "You didn't threaten him did you?"

"What? No!"

"Then why does he look like he thinks we're going to eat him?"

"Huh? I dunno. Maybe he's just shy," Duo shrugged.

Heero rolled his eyes. Turning back to the blonde he stuck out a hand and introduced himself. "Heero Yuy."

"Quatre Winner," the blonde replied quietly, taking the proffered hand and giving it a small shake.

"This is Trowa and that's Wufei. What position do you play?"

"Um…well, like I told Duo, I'm not very good. I've only played a couple of times in gym class, so wherever you want me, I'll do my best."

"Hn." Heero sized up Nichols' team. "Okay. See the kid in the green shorts and white tank? Cover him. Don't worry about anything else, we'll take care of it."

Quatre nodded, wondering if he should have agreed to play. At least the kid he was supposed to cover was about his size and not the giant that was eying him malevolently. He repressed a shudder and moved into position.

"Okay, just so everyone knows each basket is worth one point, no exceptions. First to 30 points wins," Nichols announced.

"Fine." Heero took position to guard the larger boy.

Quatre learned quickly that he was _way _out of his league with these boys. They were fast where he was slow, and agile where he was slightly clumsy. And he was shorter than all of them by at least two inches. He was closer to eight inches shorter than Trowa and the one called Nichols. Still, he had said that he would do his best so he ran up and down the court trying his darndest to guard the kid Heero had assigned to him. As the game went on, Quatre found himself tiring, but he refused to let the others know. He knew if they started teasing him today that he would be fair game for bullying all year. Of course, by the time the score was 25 to 20 in favor of Nichol's team, no one was paying any attention to him anyway.

Duo, Wufei and Trowa scored in quick succession and they were soon tied 29 to 29.

"Next point wins," Nichols announced. He glared at Heero as they checked the ball and went full tilt into the game. Quatre tried to keep up, but found that he was having a hard time breathing at this point. He really needed to get into better shape. He had decided that since no one was paying him any mind he would stop near his team's basket and try to catch his breath.

"QUATRE!"

He looked up in time to see Duo lob the ball to him and was amazed when he caught it. Everyone else was still at the other end of the court.

"SHOOT!"

Quatre forced himself to focus on the hoop and shot the ball. It rolled around the rim before dropping in.

"WOOHOO! YEAH! EAT THAT NICHOLS!" Duo turned to give Quatre a thumbs-up just in time to see the blonde crumple to the ground.


	3. Chapter 2

**A/N: Thanks to everyone that's reading! I am moving this week, so I will attempt to keep my updates regular. I had hoped to post this story every Sunday. I am not planning on abandoning this fic, but depending on how the move goes, I may not be able to post when I want. Thanks in advance for your patience.**

* * *

**Chapter 2**

Heero was closest and got to Quatre first. He turned the smaller boy onto his back and checked his breathing. It was shallow and labored. He slipped a hand under Quatre's neck and lifted to help open his airway.

"What happened?" Duo asked as the rest of the team gathered around the two boys.

"I don't know. He's having a hard time breathing." Heero started to undo Quatre's shirt, thinking it might be impeding the blonde's ability to breathe. He undid the first button and found a hand grasping his wrist.

"No," Quatre rasped out. "I'm okay I just…" He started fumbling in his pocket, finally pulling out a small inhaler. Heero helped him to sit up and steadied his hand as he nearly dropped the inhaler.

Quatre took a couple of puffs and sat there just breathing for a minute. "Sorry," he muttered when he was able to breathe a little better.

"Shit, Quat," Duo said and Quatre looked up at him, surprised at the shortened use of his name. "You nearly gave me a heart attack." With a wink, Duo dug out his own inhaler and took a puff.

"Next time, say something," Heero said with a slight frown.

Quatre looked down. "I thought I could last the rest of the game."

Duo cut off Heero's next remark. "Let him alone, 'Ro. He doesn't need a lecture and besides he made the winning shot."

Quatre grinned a little to himself. 'I did, didn't I?' he thought.

"Speaking of which…" Duo turned and pulled a face at Nichols. "You can't even beat us when we have inexperienced players. You're so not winning State _again_ this year."

"We'll see about that, Maxwell." Nichols was glowering at the boy with the braid.

"Yeah, yeah. You say that every year."

Nichols rolled his eyes. "Come on," he said to his friends. "Let's blow."

Duo chuckled as he turned back to Quatre and the others. "You feelin' better?"

"Um, yeah, thanks." Quatre got to his feet but stumbled. Trowa and Heero each grabbed an arm and steadied him before he could fall over.

Trowa was frowning at him. "Are you sure? Asthma attacks don't usually result in unconsciousness."

"Yeah, I'm fine."

"Hmm…Well, I say we have a victory party at 'Fei's house!" Duo announced.

"Maxwell you are incorrigible."

"Awww you say the nicest things," Duo said leaning towards Wufei and batting his eyelashes.

"Baka," Wufei muttered rolling his eyes.

"We should at least have a funeral for the summer."

"What?" Quatre asked.

"Well, school starts tomorrow so the summer dies when the sun goes down. We should lay it to rest properly."

Trowa shook his head. "Duo, you are by far the weirdest person I have ever met."

Duo grinned. "Well, at least I know you'll never forget me. You'll compare all future weirdness against me and it will not measure up."

Trowa chuckled. "Whatever, Duo. What do you say, Wufei? End of the summer party at your place?"

Wufei thought for a minute. "I suppose that would be acceptable. My father won't be home for another three hours."

"Come on, Quat. You get the first ice cream sandwich for winning the game for us." Duo plopped an arm around Quatre's shoulders.

Quatre ducked out from under Duo's arm. "I should get home. Thanks, though."

Duo frowned. "What? You done hanging out already?"

Quatre's aqua eyes said that he was sorry. "I just need to get home. I have some stuff to unpack before school tomorrow."

"Wait a sec, when'd you move in?" Duo cocked his head like a curious puppy.

"Um…Thursday."

"Let me guess, into the green house on Altrock Drive?"

"Y-yes," Quatre stammered out, wondering if they'd seen him as he looked out his window that first day.

"No kiddin'? Hear that, 'Fei? Quat's your new neighbor." Duo was chuckling.

"Must you find everything amusing, Duo?" Wufei asked.

"Yes. Yes I must." Wufei rolled his eyes as Duo turned back to Quatre. "Since we're going that way anyway it just means we can make sure you make it home in one piece."

Quatre shrugged and started for home. It wasn't like he could tell the other boys what to do or where to go. If they wanted to go the same way, they would.

"So how old are you?" Duo asked, falling into step next to Quatre. He was what his friends referred to as a chatterbox, especially when he was curious.

"Fourteen, but I'll be fifteen in at the end of the month."

"So you're what, a freshman?"

"Um…a junior actually."

"No shit?"

"Yeah, I skipped a couple of grades."

"Cool. That means you'll have classes with 'Ro and Tro'. 'Fei and I are only sophomores. But we'll still get to drive before you do!"

Quatre shrugged, unsure how to respond to Duo's constant stream of conversation. They were nearing his new home and Quatre was wondering how to politely remove himself from their company. After all, they'd be going to school together and the last thing he wanted was to make enemies. He needn't have worried. As they approached, Quatre saw his father out on their porch, smoking a cigarette.

"I'll see you guys at school tomorrow." Quatre hurried across the street, dread growing in his chest as he noticed the angry look in his father's eyes. He lowered his head as he went inside, hearing his father follow closely.

"Hmmm…" Duo was frowning slightly. "Anyone else think there's something off about that kid?"

"Maxwell, leave it. He's probably just embarrassed that he passed out in front of us."

"Naw, 'Fei. That's not it. Any kid with asthma gets over looking like a weakling pretty quick and usually pulling out the inhaler's a guaranteed pass on any physical limitations."

Wufei raised an eyebrow. "Now I know you're thinking too hard about this because you're using big words."

Duo grinned. "Yeah, well, maybe I'll just have to work harder to get his secrets out of him."

"Duo, I think you should leave him alone. He's new and like you said before, he's probably just shy. Pushing him won't make him open up," Heero said quietly as Trowa nodded next to him.

Duo raised his hands in surrender. "Okay, 'Ro. Whatever you say."

Heero frowned. Duo never gave up this easily. He was definitely up to something.

"So 'Fei, got any ice cream sandwiches?" Duo asked, effectively changing the subject.

Wufei rolled his eyes. "Come on, you human garbage disposal."

* * *

"Just where were you, boy?"

"W-well, sir…um…you were sleeping and I…uh…didn't want to wake you so I…um…I went for a walk."

"To where? Chicago?"

"N-no, sir. I was just going to walk to the park and back but…um…I met some kids and they…they asked me to play basketball with them." Quatre was mumbling by the end of his explanation.

"And you didn't think for one second that there was anything wrong with that, did you? You couldn't even follow one simple order. I told you to stay home and get this house unpacked!"

Quatre cringed. "I-I'm sorry, sir…I…it won't happen again."

"Damn straight it won't. Now get back to work you worthless little shit." Mr. Winner grabbed Quatre roughly by the shoulder and practically threw him at the stairs, making him trip. Quatre landed heavily on his arm but pushed himself up quickly. Not quickly enough for his father, who punched him in the back. "Quit dawdling or I'll really give you a reason to go slow."

Quatre scrambled up the stairs to the safety of his room. He'd gotten the rest of the house unpacked before taking his walk. He'd planned it that way so he would have an excuse to stay in his room and out of his father's reach. Since it was early on Sunday evening, Quatre reasoned that his father would be on his second brandy and his fourth cigarette. He'd be hung over tomorrow, but that wasn't Quatre's problem. Quatre would be safe at school and his father would leave to work the evening shift at the plant around the time he was getting done.

"Just gotta get through the night," he whispered to himself as he unpacked the last few boxes.


	4. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

Quatre was up early the next morning and slipped silently downstairs. Antonio "Tony" Winner was strung out on the couch, drooling, with his hand draped over the side, resting on the floor next to an ashtray and an empty bourbon bottle. Quatre cleaned up the mess before grabbing a banana and a slice of cheese and hurrying out the front door. Normally he didn't bother with breakfast, but after yesterday's fainting spell he didn't want to risk another one.

Once on the porch he adjusted his backpack and headed towards the school. He was grateful that the school district provided lunches because it meant he didn't have to waste any time making one. He was only two houses down before a silver convertible with the top down pulled up next to him.

"Hey, Quatre, want a ride?" Heero called from the passenger seat. Trowa was driving and Duo and Wufei were in the back already.

"Um…o-okay. Thanks." Quatre climbed into the back seat and put his bag on his lap.

"Dude, relax, it's the first day of school, not a funeral," Duo said with a familiar grin. "So what's your schedule look like?"

Quatre handed it to him.

"Damn, Quat. Advanced Physics, AP Calculus, and Business Economics? No wonder you skipped two grades. At this rate you'll have your Bachelor's before you graduate high school."

Quatre turned pink. He'd made it his goal to graduate high school as soon as possible so he could get away to college and he worked hard with scholarships in mind.

"Hey, looks like we have gym at the same time!"

Quatre was a little surprised. "Really?"

"Yeah, they have like six classes that meet during the same hour and it's always a mixed bag. That means that when we play team sports there's a chance we'll be on the same team."

Quatre hated gym and even the thought of seeing Duo there didn't make him look forward to the class. He subconsciously checked his pocket for his inhaler.

"Orchestra, huh? What instrument do you play?"

"Well, usually the violin, but I can play anything with strings."

"Yeah? That's cool. How long you been playing?"

"Um…my stepmom started me in lessons when I was five, so almost ten years."

"Huh…you must be pretty good then."

Quatre shrugged. He wasn't used to anyone being this interested in him. Not since the divorce, which he tried not to think about.

"So you said anything with strings, right? Can you play the guitar?"

"Um…a bit…I don't have one so I can't really practice it, though."

"Hmmm…so where is it?"

"What?"

"Your violin."

"Oh. Well when I set up my schedule on Saturday they said not to bring it today."

Duo handed Quatre his schedule as Trowa parked in the student lot. The five boys tumbled out of the car and made their way inside. Duo and Wufei waved as they went down the sophomore hall to find their lockers. Quatre trailed after Heero and Trowa to the junior hall, looking for his own locker.

"Hey, runt, you lost?"

Quatre was pushed roughly against the row of lockers. He looked up into a pair of topaz eyes.

"That's enough, Treize." Heero pushed the older boy away from him, glaring coolly. Treize looked down his nose at Heero.

"This don't concern you, Yuy. This little freshman needs to learn his place."

"He's not a freshman. Just new."

Treize snorted. "Well in that case, I guess I'd better welcome him."

Quatre didn't like the look Treize was giving him.

"Touch him and I'll make sure you never play football again."

"Why? He your new girlfriend?" Treize sneered.

"He's my friend and if you touch him you'll have the entire basketball team on your ass."

"Yeah, right. Like you could even manage to catch me."

Heero rolled his eyes. "Duo could catch you running backwards. You know he's on the track team, too, right?"

"Whatever, Yuy." The warning bell rang. "See you in class, Sweetheart." Treize leered at Quatre before moving down the hall.

Heero turned to Quatre. "You okay?"

Quatre nodded, not trusting his voice.

"Come on. Where's your locker?" Heero located the locker easily and Quatre put his jacket inside. Slinging his bag over a shoulder he followed Heero through the hall. It turned out that they had homeroom together and Trowa was there as well.

Trowa motioned them over and they grabbed desks near him. Heero took the one next to Trowa and Quatre sat in the seat in front of Heero.

"What took you?"

"Treize."

Trowa groaned. "Haven't they given up on that lout yet?"

"No. He may be stupid but the school won't kick him out because he's the gunner and Coach Merquise doesn't want to find a replacement for him."

"Well, there should be a limit on the number of times you can repeat a year. This is what, the third time he's been a junior?"

"Something like that."

Quatre stared at his desk. Great. He'd been targeted his first day. Maybe that was a good thing because it got it over with. The bullies in his other schools had a hierarchy that determined which one would get to pick on him. By being singled out early it meant he was off limits to any other bullies.

"Hey, Quatre, you okay?" Trowa asked quietly.

"Y-yeah." Quatre didn't look at him, but focused on the teacher who had just entered the room.

"Good morning class and welcome back. My name is Miss Une. I know that this is just homeroom for most of you but I also teach the AP Calculus class which I know some of you are taking. The seats you have picked will be yours for the remainder of the year so I suggest you make friends with your neighbors."

Miss Une proceeded to take the roll, making notes on her seating chart. Once she was done she gave them a brief lecture on how they were going to be seniors next year and to make the most of this year so they didn't jeopardize their chances of graduating. The rest of the period was given to them to relax.

Trowa leaned across the aisle where Quatre was sitting kitty corner to him. "Hey, what's the rest of your schedule today?"

Quatre handed it over and both Trowa and Heero looked at it.

"Hn. You'll have AP Calculus with me, English and Advanced Physics with both of us, and gym with Duo and Wufei," Heero said casually. "You're on your own for Business Ethics, Orchestra and History, though."

"I-is that a problem?" Quatre asked, trying to sound more casual than he felt.

"No. But it means we won't really be able to help you study for those classes. Well, we will for History because we've got the same teacher, we just don't have it at the same time," Trowa told him.

Quatre nodded and took back his schedule.

"Hey, Quatre," Heero started slowly, "don't worry about Treize, okay? We'll make sure he leaves you alone."

Quatre didn't meet the older boy's eyes. Luckily the bell chose that second to ring and Quatre slung his bag over his shoulder to head to his History class, grateful that he would have a couple of hours to get over his embarrassment. He knew that Heero was just trying to help him out on his first day, but he didn't like feeling babied.

His gut dropped when he walked into the room and saw Treize sitting at a desk in the back row. He quickly took a desk in the front row, as far away from the bully as he could manage. A shadow fell across his desk and Quatre found an interesting mark on his desk to look at.

"Hey, Sweetheart," Treize's husky voice whispered in his ear. "I see you missed me."

"Sit down, Mr. Kushrenada. I don't know why you're in this class; you're old enough to have lived through most of the ancient history we'll be covering this year."

The class sniggered at the jibe, except for Quatre who suddenly and inexplicably felt sorry for the larger boy. Surely the bully deserved the remark if it came from a teacher. The shadow moved away from his desk.

"My name is Howard. I don't want to hear any of that 'Mister' business, y'hear?"

Quatre looked up to see an older man wearing a loud Hawaiian shirt. He had a pointy mustache and beard and was wearing sunglasses. After taking the roll and marking his seating chart, Howard started in on a lecture about the Romans.

Quatre slipped out the door as soon as they were dismissed, hoping that Treize hadn't seen him. He was relieved when he made it into his next classroom without incident. The Business Ethics class was small, there were only twelve students in the room. Quatre picked an empty desk and sat down.

"Are you lost?"

Quatre looked up to see a girl with honey blonde hair and blue eyes looking at him with a frown.

"This is the Business Ethics class, isn't it?"

"Yes, but…freshmen don't take this class."

"I'm not a freshman."

The girl frowned slightly as she looked him over. Quatre felt a little uncomfortable under her gaze.

"This is not a social hour, Miss Peacecraft, please take your seat."

The girl scowled at the teacher who had just walked in, but sat down.

"I am Mr. Darlian and this class is Business Ethics. If you have the wrong room please feel free to go find the right one." He looked at Quatre as he said it. Quatre just looked at the desk. He hated that everyone was looking at him now.

"Name?"

Quatre looked up. Mr. Darlian was standing in front of him.

"Quatre Winner, sir," he replied quietly.

Mr. Darlian raised an eyebrow but moved to the next student. It seemed that he knew almost everyone in the class already, but followed the same protocol until he'd marked down everyone in the class. They were given an overview of the class, a reading assignment and a paper to write by Friday.

"You will be given a term project next week and after Christmas break those of you that don't drop the class will be given a group project to complete."

Quatre was taking notes, but thought he could feel the teacher's eyes on him again. Well, maybe he would just have to prove him wrong. The bell rang and Quatre hefted the large textbook.

"Quatre, may I have a word with you."

He sighed inwardly as he approached Mr. Darlian's desk.

"Yes, sir?"

"I'm not sure you're cut out for this class. Most seniors have a hard time in here and I cannot imagine a freshman—"

"I'm _not_ a freshman." Quatre cringed as he realized that he'd cut off a teacher. "Sorry, sir, I just get tired of everyone assuming," he explained quickly.

"Well, I apologize then. See you tomorrow."

Quatre made a speedy exit and just managed to get to the AP Calculus class before the tardy bell rang. Heero waved him over. He'd gotten them the same seats they had in homeroom. Miss Une gave them an overview of the class and handed out a test, which she explained would help her to see just where everyone was at and what areas needed improvement.

Quatre thought the test was a little too easy. But he brushed off the thought by telling himself that she'd given them an easy test because it was the first day. There was a collective groan and complaints of "But I'm not done" when Miss Une told them to hand up the tests.

"Have any more problems this morning?" Heero asked quietly as he and Quatre packed their bags and headed to their next classes.

"Not really. Treize is in my history class and Mr. Darlian thinks I won't be able to handle his class."

Heero frowned. "Howard will keep Treize in his place, but Darlian's got a reputation for being a pompous ass. Don't let him get to you."

Quatre nodded as he turned down the music hall on his way to Orchestra. The music room was abuzz with everyone talking and catching up. The teacher stood at the podium. He was older with wild graying hair and bright blue eyes.

"Simmer down, people. I am Dr. Sylvinestrokovich. You can call me Dr. S. For today I'll assign you music lockers and hand out the first few pieces of music we'll be working on. I expect you to bring your instruments tomorrow and on Friday we'll begin the chair competitions. So I suggest you practice."

Quatre decided to start his Business Ethics homework because he had no one to talk to. He didn't understand why Mr. Darlian thought he wouldn't be able to handle the material. He jotted down a couple of notes and a couple of questions to ask about the material.

He was almost finished when it was the violinists' turn to get lockers. He returned to his book while he waited for Dr. S. to hand out the music. The music, when he got it, was fairly challenging, but he didn't think it would be a problem, as long as he got time to practice it.


	5. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

By the time lunch rolled around, Quatre was starving. He made a stop at his locker and put away his books, keeping an eye out for Treize, then made his way to the cafeteria.

"Quatre."

He jumped and turned to see Wufei behind him in the lunch line.

"Um…Hi, Wufei."

Wufei grinned. "Didn't mean to startle you."

"It's okay. How has your day been?"

"Dull, as expected. My classes are once again mediocre and an inane waste of time."

Quatre blinked at him in surprise. "If they're too easy why don't you test out and get into harder ones?"

Wufei snorted. "My old man won't allow it. He says I've got to get used to going nowhere."

Quatre picked up a tray and loaded it with food, frowning. "That seems a bit…backward."

"You don't know the half of it." Wufei grabbed his own tray of food and motioned to Quatre with his head. "Come on. Our table's this way."

Quatre followed Wufei to an empty table. Even though the surrounding tables were full, no one sat at this one.

"I guess we're the first ones here." Wufei sat and Quatre moved to sit across from him. He set his tray down and looked up as he felt someone watching him. Treize was sitting a few tables over, a malevolent look on his face as he watched Quatre. Wufei turned to see what Quatre was looking at when there was a sudden racket coming from the direction of the food line. Every eye in the lunch room tried to see what was happening.

"Oh, dear. Looks like someone touched the braid," Wufei said, slightly amused. "Happens every year. Usually someone gets put up to it by an upperclassman and then Duo makes sure no one touches it again."

"Um…how?"

"Well, the first time it happened in fifth grade, he hit the kid. Then when he found out who put the kid up to it, he hit him, too, even though he was twice Duo's size. Now it's kind of like a game to see if they can get away with getting someone to yank his braid…except that Duo always finds out who's behind it and his retaliation gets more creative. Last year he strung the guy's clothes up on the flagpole while he was showering after gym. Duo was kind enough to leave the kid his underwear, but the kid still had to go out and get his clothes because the kid's friends were too busy laughing to help him."

Duo came sauntering over with a tray loaded with food, a smirk on his face. He sat next to Quatre.

"All right, Maxwell, what did you do this year?"

"Let's just say that I'm short a piece of chocolate cream pie."

"Who was it?"

"Mueller."

Wufei raised his eyebrows. "You sure that was wise?"

"Why? He knew the consequences. Don't play the game if you can't pay the price."

"Yeah, well, I just hope he doesn't decide to retaliate."

"If he does, I'll just get him back again."

Wufei shook his head and started eating. Quatre did the same after a quick glance at Treize assured him that the older boy was busy talking to someone at his table. Duo tucked into his food. Heero and Trowa joined them, Heero next to Wufei and Trowa next to Duo.

"Where do you put all that, Duo?" Trowa asked with a frown.

Duo shrugged and continued eating. Quatre was amazed at how much food the braided boy could eat. He was slim and didn't seem to have an ounce of fat on him.

"Maybe it goes to his hair," Quatre suggested quietly.

Duo was taking a drink of his milk and nearly shot it out his nose. "Was that—? Did Quat just make a joke?"

Quatre gave him a shrug and a small smile. Heero and Trowa were chuckling and Wufei was trying not to.

Duo clapped him hard on the back as he laughed. "I knew I liked you kid."

Quatre hoped no one noticed him wince. He was about to start on his pie when a shadow fell across the table. The boys looked up. Standing at the head of the table was a heavily muscled bald man.

"Hey, O, how's it goin'?" Duo asked cheerfully.

"It's _Coach _O to you and I'll be better when we take State again this year. You boys up to it?"

"Yes, sir," Wufei answered. "Alliance is going down."

"Tryouts will be the end of next week. We have to replace the seniors that graduated and Will. It's too bad his dad got transferred. But we'll make do."

Duo raised his carton of milk. "To Will…and the hope we can replace the S.O.B."

Trowa and Heero raised their milks with a smirk and Wufei rolled his eyes before following suit.

Coach O shook his head, grinning. "Maxwell, don't reinforce the rumor that I keep you on the team for entertainment."

"Too late," Wufei quipped.

Coach O chuckled. "First practice is in two weeks. I'll see you there." He left them to finish their lunches.

The bell ending lunch rang and the boys grabbed their trays. Quatre started to follow Heero and Trowa to the trash can when he was pushed.

"Oof!" He landed on his left arm as he had the night before. He bit his lip to keep from crying out. He could only pray he hadn't broken it this time. That was all he needed. His tray went skittering across the cafeteria floor, but no one noticed. They were focused on the drama playing out above his head.

"Quit being a dick, Trant, that was totally uncalled for!" Duo was being held back by Wufei, but both had murderous looks in their eyes.

Quatre looked up at the boy that had pushed him and recognized the black haired boy as someone that Treize had been talking to. Heero helped him up.

"Duo, go to class before you get yourself expelled," Trowa gave Wufei a look and the Chinese boy pulled Duo away. Turning back to Trant with a glare he asked, "What the hell is wrong with you?"

Trant smirked. "It was an _accident_, Barton."

"Yeah right."

"Prove it wasn't."

"You better hope I don't. I know you've got one strike left before you get expelled. And I'm sure the football team doesn't need you to lose to Alliance this year. After all, you guys haven't managed to beat them in twenty years, so why start now?"

Trant pulled a fist back.

"That's enough, gentlemen." Coach O was back and glaring at Trowa and Trant. "You two follow me. Don't the rest of you have classes to get to?"

The crowd dispersed as Trant and Trowa followed O to the office. Heero and Quatre hurried off to their Advanced Physics class and made sure to reserve a seat near them for Trowa.

"Don't worry about Trowa. The worst O will do to him is make him run extra laps at practice."

"Maybe it's better if you guys don't get involved," Quatre said quietly, looking down at his desk.

Heero frowned. "Quatre?"

Quatre sighed. "Look, it's the same thing at every school I go to. Anyone that tries to help just becomes a target, too. You guys should stop now, before things get worse."

Heero opened his mouth to respond but shut it as the teacher started class. Quatre took notes and subconsciously rubbed his sore arm as he worried that Trowa would get in trouble. He certainly didn't want anyone to get in trouble because of him, especially the boys who had been so nice to him. Trowa came in about halfway through, briefly interrupting the lecture. His face was stoic, but his eyes gave away his good mood.

"Did you hurt your arm?" Trowa asked with a frown as they left the class. He'd noticed Quatre rubbing at it during the lecture.

"Um…a little, but it's better now," Quatre lied. "Did you get in trouble?"

"Nope. I told O what happened but since Trant didn't actually hit me and he claims pushing you was an accident, he's only on probation. But one more infraction for anything, even if he shows up late for class, and he's off the football team."

"That'll piss him off. This is his last year to get noticed by the recruiters," Heero noted.

English was uneventful. They got a list of books they'd need to read and the schedule of tests and research papers. Quatre glanced over the list. Most of the books were classics like Slaughterhouse 5 and Fahrenheit 451, which he'd read. But some of them he didn't recognize, like The Mysterious Benedict Society.

Once class was over Quatre made his way to the gym. Halfway there, Duo came out of a classroom and nearly bowled him over again.

"Whoa! Sorry, Quat!"

"Don't worry about it, Duo."

Duo slung an arm over Quatre's shoulders. "So, you ready for gym?"

"Um…not really."

"What? Why not?"

"It's kind of my worst subject."

"Get out! After lunch it's the best class of the day!"

"I didn't think lunch counted as a class."

"Well, I learned you have a sense of humor, which is more than I learned in Algebra."

Quatre could have sworn Duo was serious. Upon entering the gym, they were directed to sit in their respective classes on the bleachers. Duo flashed Quatre a grin as he joined Wufei with their class. Quatre sat on the second row with his class. He had never felt so short in his life. 5 foot 6 wasn't even that short when you thought about it, but when everyone around you is closer to 6 feet tall, you feel short. It didn't take long to deduce that almost all of the jocks took gym during the last hour so they wouldn't have to change for practice.

"Miss me Sweetheart?" a husky voice whispered in his ear.

Quatre froze as Treize slid from the bench behind him onto the bench next to him. He shot a look at Duo and Wufei on the other side of the gym. Wufei elbowed Duo, who was chatting to a girl sitting next to him. Duo looked at Wufei who said something and immediately his attention was on Quatre. He stood up, but Wufei pulled him back to his seat as the gym teachers moved to the center of the gym.

"LISTEN UP! I AM COACH O. EVERY DAY YOU WILL HAVE TEN MINUTES TO GET INTO YOUR GYM UNIFORMS AND GET YOUR BUTTS OUT HERE. THERE WILL BE NO HORSEPLAY IN THE LOCKER ROOMS, YOU WILL RESPECT YOUR FELLOW STUDENTS AND IF YOU HAVE ANY PROBLEMS WITH THE RULES I'M SURE PRINCIPAL PO WOULD BE MORE THAN HAPPY TO DISCUSS THEM WITH YOU." Coach O paused and a man with long white-blonde hair took over the bullhorn.

"I AM COACH MERQUISE. FOOTBALL TRYOUTS WILL BE AFTER SCHOOL TODAY. CHEERLEADING TRYOUTS WILL BE ON FRIDAY. BASKETBALL TRYOUTS WILL BE A WEEK FROM FRIDAY. GIRL'S VOLLEYBALL TRYOUTS WILL BE NEXT WEDNESDAY. THE ORDER OF BUSINESS FOR TODAY IS TO ASSIGN LOCKERS. LINE UP IN THE LOCKER ROOMS AND GET YOUR LOCKERS. WHEN YOU'RE DONE YOU CAN COME OUT HERE AND PLAY DODGE BALL FOR THE DURATION OF CLASS. STARTING TOMORROW WE WILL DRESS OUT SO COME PREPARED."

"Coming, Sweetheart?" Treize purred in Quatre's ear as everyone started towards the locker rooms.

Quatre suppressed a shudder and tried to see where Wufei and Duo ended up.

"Winner, may I see you for a minute?" Coach O was frowning at him.

Quatre was relieved and quickly followed the coach to the office. Anything was better than sitting there with Treize literally breathing down his neck. They passed Wufei and Duo who pulled themselves out of line and tried to follow.

"Don't you have someplace to be?" Coach O asked, giving the two a significant look.

"Just wanted to know if Quatre would like to get a locker near mine, sir," Duo said with a cheeky grin.

"That'd be fine, Duo," Quatre said quickly, not wanting Duo to get in trouble on his account.

"Get to it, gentlemen," Coach O said before shutting the office door. "Have a seat, Quatre."

Quatre sat in the chair and Coach O sat behind the desk. "I'm told that you've been having a few problems with some of the students today."

Quatre looked down. "Um…I didn't mean to, sir."

"Let me be blunt. Trowa told me that Treize and his cronies have started picking on you."

Quatre swallowed. He wasn't sure if admitting to being picked on was a good idea. Usually it just made the bullies get creative in their torture. "Um…s-sort of."

"Well, just let me know if they keep at it. There's no room in this school for bullying but we can't stop it if no one wants to report it, okay?" Quatre nodded. "I was planning on speaking to you anyway. According to your file, you're only fourteen. Is that correct?"

"Um…I'll be fifteen at the end of the month, sir."

"Your current class has you with people two years older than you are and if you'd be more comfortable in another class, we'll switch you. It isn't like you'll be doing anything different so it doesn't matter if you're in the freshman or sophomore class and it won't reflect badly on your grades if you switch.

"You're currently in Coach Merquise's class and to be honest with you, I think you'd be better off switching into mine. The boys in my class are closer to your size so when we play some of the rougher sports you're less likely to be hurt. And considering that you were sitting with them at lunch I am assuming Duo and Wufei are friends of yours and that makes me think you'd be less likely to be bothered by Treize and some of his football buddies if they're nearby. But the choice is yours."

Quatre couldn't believe his luck. Getting out of class with Treize and switching to be with Wufei and Duo? DUH!

"Um…if it isn't a problem I think I'd like to switch classes, sir."

"I'll inform Coach Merquise. You may go get your locker."

"Thank you, sir." Quatre left and joined Duo and Wufei in line, telling them what Coach O had said.

"SWEET! O just became my favorite teacher all over again."

"Even if Treize was not in your class I think switching was wise. Coach Merquise tends to make sure that his classes are made up of as many football players as he can get and he gives them preferential treatment. You'd be a sitting duck with Treize in that class. He could get away with murdering you and burying you on the fifty yard line because he plays football and you don't," Wufei told him.

"Just what was he saying to you anyway?" Duo was frowning.

"Not much…he's just made it a point to call me sweetheart every time he sees me. The way he says it creeps me out."

"The fact that he's saying it at all creeps me out. Besides, he's 19, which means if he touches you it counts as statutory, so keep that in mind. Maybe if you point it out it'll keep him away from you."

Quatre's eyes widened. "You-you think he'd do something like that?"

Wufei glared at Duo. "Nice going." Turning back to Quatre he said, "We don't know for sure. We just know that Treize has a reputation and it isn't flattering. I don't recommend being alone in a room with him or Milliardo."

"Who's Milliardo?"

"Milliardo Peacecraft is Coach Merquise's nephew. They look almost identical, except that Merquise looks older and is slightly taller. According to his sister, Relena, Milliardo has idolized Merquise since he was eight and has molded himself after the Coach. But being friends with Treize tells me he's most likely a jerk, too," Duo told him.

"Relena Peacecraft? Why is that name familiar? Hang on, does she have blonde hair and blue eyes, wear a lot of pink and is somewhat stuck up?"

"Somewhat stuck up is an understatement. The Princess of Pink seems to think she owns the school because she's related to Coach Merquise. I hope she doesn't make head cheerleader this year so we can watch her head spin."

"Oh."

"I take it you've met her?" Wufei asked.

"Yeah. She's in my Business Economics class."

"Well, I'd tell you not to get on her bad side, but since she doesn't have a good side, there's no point," Duo said with a grin.

"What makes you say that?"

Duo smirked. "Ask 'Ro about her sometime."

They got their locker assignments and a paper explaining what outfits were acceptable to wear during gym. They went out to play dodge ball and because they guarded each other, they managed to stay in for most of the game. Quatre got out first. Treize got out immediately after and headed to where Quatre was sitting. Duo noticed and immediately bounced a ball off Wufei's head, getting him out. Wufei glared at him until Duo mouthed 'Treize' and motioned in Quatre's direction with his head.

Wufei nodded and joined Quatre on the bench as Duo continued to play. Treize scowled at Wufei and sat a little bit away from them. Duo got out because he kept glancing at Treize to make sure he didn't try anything.

Class ended shortly after that and the three boys headed to their lockers to drop off and pick up the various books they'd need for homework. Quatre took his time getting his books. He wanted to get home after Tony left for work. Trowa and Heero leaned against the lockers next to his as they waited for him.

"Hey, Quatre, we're going down to Rashid's. D'you want to come?"

"Um…what's Rashid's, Trowa?"

"It's a local convenience store but they have an old-fashioned soda fountain in the back that's kind of cool."

"Oh…um, no, I don't think so."

"Why not?" Heero asked.

"Um…well, I didn't bring any money with me today."

Heero shrugged. "Not a big deal. We use my dad's expense account anyway. He doesn't care how much we put on it," his voice changed to mimic his father, "_as long as we're not using it for drugs or alcohol._"

Trowa laughed. "Hey, you're getting pretty good at imitating your old man."

Heero shrugged. "So are you coming, Quatre?"

Quatre thought for a minute. It _would_ guarantee that he didn't get home before Tony left for work.

"We still need to talk about what you said earlier," Heero told him.

Trowa frowned at Heero's tone. "What did you say?"

Quatre felt his cheeks flush. "Um…"

"He thinks we shouldn't be friends with him because we'll get in trouble with Treize and his goons."

Trowa laughed. "Those blowhards? Seriously, Quatre, you need to get to know us better before you get to say stuff like that."

"Hey guys! What's takin' you so long? I'm starving to death over here!" Duo yelled at them from down the hall. Wufei was standing next to him, shaking his head.

Heero grabbed Quatre's backpack and started walking down the hall. "Come on, before Duo wastes away."

Realizing that he no longer had a choice in the matter, Quatre followed Heero and the others to Trowa's car.


	6. Chapter 5

**A/N: Thanks to everyone that's reading. Chapter 6 will have a little more interaction between Quatre and his dad. So e****njoy the fluff while you can...it starts to get angsty soon! **

**Chapter 5**

"Hey Rashid!" Duo greeted the large man behind the counter. "Can I get my usual?"

"Of course, Master Duo. What about the rest of you?"

"Usual."

"Usual."

"The usual, and go ahead and put it on my dad's tab."

"As always, Master Heero. And who might this be?" Rashid looked at Quatre.

"Oh, yeah! This is Quatre, he's 'Fei's new neighbor," Duo introduced.

"Um…hi, sir."

"Well, hello, Master Quatre. I am Rashid. What can I get for you this fine afternoon?"

Quatre scanned the menu. "What would you recommend, sir?"

Rashid gave a throaty chuckle. "How about I surprise you?"

"Um…okay."

The boys took a seat at a small round table. They chatted about school while they waited for their order. Rashid's partner, Abdul, brought it out.

"Okay, we have a burger with everything and a chocolate malt for Trowa; a chicken basket with a side of coleslaw and a cherry coke for Wufei; a bacon burger with cheese and a brown cow for Heero; a double-triple bacon burger with cheese, cheesy chili fries, and a double chocolate soda for Duo; and for the new kid, a Rashid special with a dark chocolate shake. Enjoy!"

Quatre looked at his sandwich. The Rashid special was a meatball sub as long as his arm. Not just his arm from the elbow to the wrist, but from his shoulder to the tips of his fingers. It was topped with provolone and parmesan cheeses and had a large side of fries. Rashid had been thoughtful enough to cut it into six pieces. "This thing is huge."

Duo chuckled. "Yeah, well I bet once you start in on it it'll go down faster than you think. Rashid's a whiz in the kitchen. I haven't tried anything here that isn't good."

Quatre picked up a piece of the sandwich and took a tentative bite. It was like nothing he'd ever eaten before. In no time at all the first two pieces of the sandwich were gone and Quatre was sipping at the shake. It was all really good, but there was no way he could finish it.

Duo had finished his burger and fries and swiped a piece of Quatre's sandwich with a cheeky wink. "Oh wow, you guys gotta try this," he said around a mouthful of food.

"Maxwell, don't talk with your mouth full," Wufei chided with a frown, but he grabbed a piece as well.

Trowa and Heero grabbed the last two pieces and the fries disappeared quickly as well. Rashid came out to their table.

"So, Master Quatre, what did you think?"

"It was excellent, sir."

"Yeah, Rashid, why don't you ever make stuff like that for me?" Duo pouted.

"Because you never asked, Master Duo."

"Well, when you put it that way…"

Rashid laughed. "I don't suppose you saved room for dessert?"

"Don't I always?"

"Of course. Do you want your usuals?"

Everyone exchanged a look.

"Hey, Rashid, what do you recommend?" Duo asked, grinning a Cheshire cat grin.

"Why don't I surprise you?" Rashid answered with a wink as he turned to go back to the kitchen.

"Awesome! So Quat, we didn't get much of a chance to talk yet. Why don't we start with your life history?"

"Duo, what did I say about pestering people?"

"You don't fool me, 'Ro. You're curious, too. It's been, what, seven years since anyone new moved into this neighborhood?"

"Yeah, no one since you, Maxwell," Wufei said casually. "My theory is that they all heard you were here and they're avoiding the place like the plague."

"Quatre, you don't have to answer Duo if you don't want to. He can be a little…invasive sometimes," Trowa told him.

"I'll give _you_ invasive…" Duo said with a dark smirk, flicking a piece of French fry at him.

"You wish, Maxwell," Wufei muttered.

Quatre wasn't sure he followed that exchange but chose not to say anything about it. He didn't want to sound stupid.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever 'Fei. So anyway, Quat, where did you move here from?"

"New York."

"Get out! Is Time's Square really all it's cracked up to be?"

"Sort of, if you like shopping and souvenirs. Shopping on Fifth Avenue is better, but everything closes at 7."

"Why?"

Quatre shrugged. "Probably to cut down on crime in the area."

"So what's riding a subway like?"

"Not much different than a bus. A little smoother, maybe."

"Oh. Did you ever walk the Brooklyn Bridge or see the Statue of Liberty or get mugged in Central Park?"

"Yes, yes, and thankfully, no."

"Well, that's good, I guess. So what were the schools like there?"

"Not too different. Most schools required uniforms, even the public ones, and you had to go through metal detectors before they'd let you in and some of the schools required everyone to wear a nametag so they knew who was supposed to be there and who wasn't."

"Man, that sounds so lame. Bet it got old fast."

"Well, we didn't really stay there long enough for it to get old."

Duo raised an eyebrow. "How long did you live there?"

"About six months."

"What about before that?"

"Duo, you're prying."

"I'm curious." Heero glared at him and Duo sighed. "Okay, I guess I don't need the play by play. So how many places have you lived, Quat?"

"Um…I've kind of…lost count."

"What does your dad do that makes you guys move so much?"

Quatre had to work hard to quash a rising sense of panic. 'Duo didn't mean it that way,' he told himself. Out loud he said, "He's looking for his dream job. He works someplace for a while and when he gets bored with it, he finds something else and we move." He shrugged like it was no big deal, but deep down, it was a huge deal. He hated it. He hated the real reason even more.

"That must bite. What's the coolest place you can remember living?"

"Hm...Nome, Alaska."

"What was your dad doing there?"

"He wanted to try his hand at gold dredging. It's not all it's cracked up to be."

"Did you learn to drive a dog sled?"

"No, we were only there in the summer."

"Hmmm…I guess I'll have to find another way to get that off my bucket list." Duo put his hands behind his head and stretched. "Wonder what's takin' Rashid so long. He must be makin' us something good."

Abdul came out and cleared their table, leaving them each a clean spoon and…a plastic bib.

"What the—?" Duo cocked his head as he looked at the bib. Then he shrugged and tied it on with a grin.

Rashid came out an instant later carrying the biggest bowl Quatre had ever seen. "I give you, The Kitchen Sink." He set the bowl down on the table and five sets of eyes widened.

"Hey, Rashid, what's in this?" Trowa asked. It was hard to tell because the top layer was a mound of whipped cream covered in colored sprinkles with a cherry on top.

"You've heard the phrase 'Everything but the kitchen sink?' Well, this has everything. Twelve scoops of ice cream, hot fudge, caramel, strawberry sauce, bananas, cherries, every topping on the line and an entire can of whipped cream."

"Rashid, I think I love you," Duo said as he plunged his spoon into the giant sundae. He took a bite. "Let me amend that statement. I know I love you. Wanna adopt me?"

Rashid burst out laughing. "You boys enjoy." He went back to his kitchen as the group tucked in.

"Hey, 'Fei, I found a scoop of mint chocolate chip."

"Trowa, does this taste like coffee to you?"

"Mmmm…nobody touch this spot! The scoop of cookies and cream is mine!"

"What the—? I just found a whole peanut butter cup."

"Dibs on the next one!"

They ate as much of it as they could, but Quatre was the first to quit eating. He was so full he was sure he was going to have to be rolled home. Duo lasted the longest, looking longingly at the small amount that was left.

"You know, that's the first time I haven't been able to finish something Rashid's made." He thought for a second. "I wonder if I could eat one by myself, you know, if I didn't have anything else to eat beforehand."

"Please tell me you're not seriously considering trying that, Duo," Trowa said with a frown. "You'd be sick."

"Nu-uh. I've got an iron gut and a metabolism that goes a million miles an hour. I can eat anything."

Rashid came out to clear their table. "So what did you boys think?"

"A. MAZ. ING," Duo said with a sigh. "Why isn't that on the menu? I would've tried it a looong time ago."

"Actually, I've been thinking of expanding the menu. You boys are the first to try the Rashid special and the Kitchen Sink."

Duo let his eyes go wide. "You _used _us?" he asked, putting his lip out and letting it quiver a little.

That only made Rashid laugh. "You don't fool me, Duo Maxwell. I know for a fact that you enjoyed every bite of those dishes. Of course, if you don't want to try the new menu before it's available…"

"Are you on crack? I'd LOVE to taste test the new menu for you!"

Rashid chuckled and they agreed to come back soon to test his next recipes.


	7. Chapter 6

**A/N: Wow...It looks like we picked up a bunch of new readers this week. Thank you all so much!**

**Chapter 6**

On Friday, Miss Une handed back the tests they'd taken on the first day. Heero got a B, which he wasn't happy with, but since Miss Une had assured the class that this test wouldn't count towards their final grade, he wasn't too concerned about it.

Quatre, however, nearly hyperventilated when his test didn't have a grade. It only had a note at the bottom that read, "See me after class."

Heero could tell that Quatre was upset by his test, but didn't have a chance to ask him about it. He tried to hang around and ask after, but Miss Une shooed him out and he was forced to go to his next class.

Quatre sat at his desk as everyone left. Miss Une came back to him.

"Quatre, do you know why I wanted to speak to you?"

He looked at his desk and shook his head.

"Quatre?"

He looked up and saw that she wasn't angry.

"I wanted to talk to you because you are the only student to get a perfect score on this test."

Quatre was surprised. "I-I did?"

"Yes, and I know that there's no way you could have cheated. Tell me, was the test difficult for you?"

"Not really. I just figured you were giving us an easy test because it was the first day."

"Well, Quatre, what this tells me is that you already know the material we'll be covering this year. This is the highest math class this school offers. So I was wondering if you would be willing to accept a tutoring position during this class period instead."

"Tutoring?"

"Yes, Quatre. We have a number of students that would benefit from one-on-one tutoring and since you obviously know the material, I would like for you to tutor one of those students."

Quatre thought about it. He would be bored in class, but if he tutored he would basically be responsible for helping another student succeed. "What if I'm no good at it? I mean, what if they still don't pass?"

"Quatre, that would not be a reflection on you. The student you will be tutoring has a history of not doing well in math and this is an attempt to get him through without putting him in the remedial class."

"Oh, okay."

"Great. You'll start on Monday. During this class period you'll meet in the library. If you have any questions you can always come to me, okay?"

Quatre smiled at her. "Okay."

She gave him a pass so he wouldn't get in trouble for being late to orchestra and he made it to class just in time to participate in the chair test for the violin. He was in such a good mood that it spilled over into his playing and he landed first chair. He could hardly wait to tell his friends his good news.

"Hey, Quat! What's got you so wired?"

Quatre was bouncing with impatience as he waited in the lunch line. "I've just had a really good day."

"Yeah?" Duo gave him a wicked smile. "Did you get a girlfriend?"

Quatre stopped and stared at Duo. "N-no."

"Hey, I didn't mean to kill your buzz. I was just kidding."

"Oh." Quatre grabbed his tray of food and followed Duo to the table. The others were already there.

"Quatre, what happened with Une? What was wrong with your test?" Heero had been worried for his friend for the last hour and wanted to make sure the smaller boy was okay.

Quatre smiled at him and sat down. "Nothing was wrong with it. I…I aced it." He was still having a little trouble believing it.

Heero's jaw dropped. "Y-you're kidding."

Quatre shook his head. "Nu-uh. Miss Une asked if I would be willing to tutor someone during that period instead of going to class."

"Well, then, lemme see your test. I want to know why I missed some of them."

Quatre handed his test over and Heero scanned the pages, noting what he'd done incorrectly. "Where did you learn this stuff?"

Quatre shrugged. "We lived in Maine one winter and the snow got so deep you couldn't get the doors open. We were renting this old house that had a library and the original owners had a bunch of books on a lot of different subjects. I ended up reading most of them because we were snowed in and there was nothing else to do."

"Hey, remind me to pick your brain if I ever get stuck on anything," Duo told him with a grin. "Was that all that happened today? I mean, you _were_ bouncing."

Quatre flushed and ducked his head. "Well, I also got first chair in orchestra."

"Impressive. You'll have to play for us sometime," Trowa said.

Quatre was in a good mood through Advanced Physics and English. When he got to the locker room, however, his mood took a nose dive. He'd gotten there before Duo and Wufei and was getting his gym clothes so he could change.

"Hey, Sweetheart."

Quatre turned quickly and found Treize blocking his escape from the row of lockers. He hadn't put his shirt on yet, showing off his muscular arms and torso. Quatre knew instantly that there was no chance he could ever win against Treize if it came down to a fist fight.

"Shove off, Kushrenada." Wufei pushed his way past Treize and went to his locker. Treize scowled but went back to his own locker to finish changing. Quatre slipped over to the bathroom stall and changed quickly into his tricot pants and matching hoodie top.

"Don't you ever get hot?" Duo asked as he joined them on the bleachers.

"Not really."

Duo just shook his head. He'd cook from the inside out if he wore long pants and tops to gym class. Come to think of it, Quatre always wore long pants and long sleeves.

"Maxwell, snap out of it!"

"Huh?"

Coach O was frowning at him. "Just what were you daydreaming about?"

"Oh, uh, winning state again, O," he supplied quickly.

Coach O rolled his eyes. "You have a one-track mind, Maxwell. Basketball won't help you today. We're going to break into teams and start a round robin volleyball tournament."

Coach O proceeded to split them into two teams of eight players each and explained how the elimination in the round robin would work. The tournament would last through the next week with next Friday featuring a showdown between the two best teams.

They were all worn out by the end of class. It seemed that everyone who had gym for the last hour of the day had a competitive streak and no quarter was given, making every victory a very grueling battle.

Quatre, Duo and Wufei were exhausted by the end of class.

"I don't think I've ever 'trudged' before."

Quatre snickered at Duo's comment. "Me neither."

"Hey I know!" Quatre and Wufei both jumped at Duo's sudden enthusiasm. They groaned as he took off down the hall towards Trowa and Heero. How he could still manage to move that fast was beyond them. They started out the doors towards the parking lot.

By the time they got to the others, Duo was grinning from ear to ear. "As a celebration for surviving the first week of classes, I propose that we have a hot tub party at Trowa's and he agrees with me."

"Sounds good to me," Wufei answered wearily.

They climbed into the car and Trowa pulled out of the parking lot.

"Quat, you game?"

"Um…I can't. Sorry."

"What? Why not?" Duo whined.

"Well, you see, I kind of already had plans."

"Oh _really_? What kind of plans?"

"You know…stuff with my dad," Quatre answered.

"Oh. Okay then!" Duo chirped cheerfully. "But just know that you'll be missing out."

"Maybe some other time." Trowa stopped in front of Wufei's house and Quatre got out. "Thanks for the ride, Trowa."

"Anytime, Quatre."

Quatre made his way across the street, glad that Tony's car wasn't in the driveway.

Once Wufei was back in Trowa's car with his suit and a towel, Duo frowned. "You know, I still think there's something off about that kid."

Heero was beginning to agree with Duo. But what it was, he couldn't quite put his finger on. He was still trying to figure it out an hour later when they were lounging in Trowa's hot tub.

"Yo, 'Ro! What's got you so distracted today?"

"Hm?"

"I know what it is," Duo said with a smirk. "You're sore that Quatre does better at calculus than you, right?"

"Not at all. I'm quite happy for him."

"But you were thinking about Quatre, weren't you?"

"Why would you think that?"

Duo shrugged, smirk still in place. "Because."

Heero rolled his eyes. "If you must know I was thinking about what you said earlier, about something being off about him. I was trying to figure out if there was or not."

"So the kid has quirks. He isn't hurting anything," Wufei said with a shrug.

"It's not just 'quirks,' 'Fei. He's obviously a genius so that's a given. But think about it. He wears long sleeves and long pants all the time. Even in gym. He eats at lunch like there's no tomorrow—"

"That's rich, coming from _you_."

"I mean it, 'Fei. He ate just as much at Rashid's as you did and he's a lot smaller than you. He basically goes straight home from school unless we kidnap him, and has anyone else noticed that he doesn't really like to be touched? I mean, at all? I've noticed that every time I touch him he flinches."

"You said when we first met him that he was probably shy," Heero said, but he was beginning to agree more and more with Duo.

"Yeah, and he also grabbed your wrist pretty damn quick when you started to undo his shirt after he passed out. A little too quick for someone just barely returning to consciousness," Duo argued. "He's hiding something."

"Duo, you're reading too much into this," Trowa told him. "Lots of people don't like to be jumped on by someone as rambunctious as you."

"That's not what you told me before," Duo purred.

Wufei splashed him. "That wasn't an invitation, Maxwell."

Duo grinned evilly, but let it drop.

"Besides, Quatre has said himself that he's been the new kid on multiple occasions. Maybe he's just trying to fly under the radar," Trowa suggested.

"And with Treize already out to bully him, I don't blame him," Heero added. "He already told me that he doesn't think we should be his friends."

"WHAT? Why not?" Duo demanded.

"He said that at other schools anyone who befriended him became a bully target."

"And he didn't want us to be bullied? That's so sweet. Deluded, but sweet," Duo said thoughtfully. After a few minutes of silence he said, "Maybe Quatre's really a girl."

"That's ridiculous, Duo."

"No…no it really isn't. Think about it. He didn't want Heero to undo his shirt, he changes for gym in the bathroom stall, he wears clothes that would cover up any curves, he's not overly athletic, he plays the violin and he…he…" Duo ran out of reasons.

"Eats like you?" Heero finished.

"Yeah! Wait…Heero!"

"Duo, Quatre's not a girl. Coach O wouldn't have let him get a locker in the boy's locker room if he was," Wufei told him.

"But what if Coach O doesn't know?"

"Quatre said O read his file. It was how he knew how young Quatre is, remember?"

"Oh yeah."

"And if Treize was leering at me the way he does to Quatre, I'd change for gym in the bathroom, too," Wufei said with a slight frown.

"Just forget about it Duo," Heero said.

Duo fell silent for a minute. "Maybe he has a third nipple."

Trowa groaned and grabbed Duo's foot, pulling him under.

"About time someone did that to him," Wufei grumbled.

* * *

Quatre shut the door and locked it. He breathed a sigh of relief. He was alone for the evening. Tony wouldn't be home until around midnight. He made his way to his room and put his things away. He had homework, but if the house wasn't spotless when Tony got home there would be hell to pay, so the homework would wait.

Quatre started upstairs because it wouldn't take very long. First he made Tony's bed and cleaned his bathroom. He moved through each room upstairs cleaning and straightening anything that was out of place. He didn't use those rooms, but Tony did. One was supposed to be a gym, but there was never anything out of place in that room. Another room was supposed to be an office, but Tony really only used it to watch porn on the computer. There was always a mess in there.

Downstairs, the living room had a full ashtray that needed to be emptied and a number of alcohol bottles and cans that had to be cleaned up. Tony liked to vary the type of buzz he got depending on how work had gone and how much he would be expected to function the next day. Quatre quickly dusted and vacuumed, making sure that the television remote was placed on the side table for Tony to find.

The kitchen sink was full of dirty dishes and the countertops were disgusting. Quatre cleaned out the refrigerator, mopped the floor, and took out the trash. He made a list of things to pick up at the grocery store, making sure not to put anything on the list that Tony didn't like. He would be tasked with going to the store tomorrow, after Tony gave him an almost exact amount of cash so that Quatre couldn't pick up anything that he wanted for himself.

Satisfied that the house was clean, Quatre went upstairs to start on his homework. It was already eight o'clock and he had better be asleep before Tony got home. He didn't like to see Quatre any more than he had to. Quatre was okay with that arrangement. At eleven o'clock, Quatre had only one assignment left. He was supposed to read something off of the required reading list and give a brief summary and review. Given the late hour and how soon Tony would be home, Quatre decided to have it wait until the next day. He should be able to finish it easily.

He stripped down to his boxers, turned off the light and climbed into bed. He didn't fall asleep right away. He stared at the ceiling and thought about the last week. He'd never been befriended so quickly before. Everywhere else he'd lived he had always been the weird new kid. The one everyone picked on. He couldn't remember the last time he'd had a friend. That was a lie. He sighed as he remembered his last true friend…before Tony had ruined it. Four years without friends was a long time. If he could just keep these friends a secret, Tony wouldn't be able to do anything.

Lights on the road pulled into the driveway and Quatre quickly rolled over and feigned sleep. He listened as the door opened and closed and the lock clicked. Then followed the sound of Tony's heavy footsteps up the stairs and held perfectly still as they stopped outside his door. His heart was thumping as his door creaked open.

Quatre regulated his breathing as he heard Tony cross the room. Quatre could feel Tony's breath as he leaned over to see if Quatre was truly asleep.

Suddenly, he was yanked from the bed by his hair and thrown to the ground. He instinctively curled up and covered his head as Tony rained blows down on him, swearing and muttering about how worthless and lazy he was.

"Worthless little shit. Making us move to this horse-shit town. Making me work this shit job to pay for your worthless little ass. Can't even keep the house in good order. Laundry isn't done and the doors creak and the keyhole sticks and you'd better get the damn yard looking decent tomorrow or you'll really catch it." He grabbed Quatre by the bicep, his large hand wrapping completely around, and yelled in his face, "GOT IT?"

"Y-yes, sir, I'm sorry, sir," Quatre responded quickly. "It won't happen again, sir."

Tony threw him back to the floor and growled, "Get to bed. I expect you up by five to get your chores done." He slammed the door and Quatre heard him head down the stairs, most likely to down the last six or seven beers in the fridge.

Quatre stayed on the floor for a minute, waiting for some of the pain to subside. He gingerly crawled to his alarm clock and set the alarm for 4:30. He climbed into bed and let his tears loose into the pillow.

* * *

**A/N: Let the angst begin!**


	8. Chapter 7

**A/N: Holy Cricket! Last Sunday this story got the highest number of views in a single day so far for my fics. We've also surpassed the thousand view mark. Y'all are so sweet! Apparently I'm doing something right as no one has told me otherwise.**

**FYI: I might lose internet access this week for an undetermined amount of time. I don't know for sure when that might happen. But I PROMISE I am not abandoning this fic. I may have to change what day I post until I get reliable access again. Thanks so much for your patience.**

**And if you need something to read in between chapters on this one, feel free to check out my other fic. It has more chapters posted at this time but is subject to the same possible delay in posting of further chapters. :)**

* * *

**Chapter 7**

Quatre woke and quickly silenced his alarm. He was stiff and sore, but forced himself out of bed. In the bathroom he looked over his new bruises. It was hard to tell which ones they were, but he did notice that a few of his older ones had gone from blackish-purple to greenish-yellow. At least Tony made sure to hit him where his clothes would cover it up. He sighed and was about to get into the shower when he remembered that was expected to do yard work. The shower would be completely pointless in a couple of hours, so he skipped it.

He dressed quickly and slipped down the stairs. He was as quiet as possible because if Tony was hung over—'If?' Quatre nearly snorted at the absurdity of the thought—he wouldn't appreciate being woken up. Tony was snoring loudly on the couch. Quatre peeked in to find the room a complete disaster area. He tiptoed around, cleaning up the mess. He then left a glass of water and two painkillers on the table next to the remote. He wasn't doing it to be nice. He'd learned that Tony didn't hit him as often when he wasn't pissed and hung over. It was self-preservation.

He quickly grabbed a can of WD-40 and took care of the hinges on every door in the house, whether he thought it needed it or not. He used it on the front keyhole, too, unsure of how to keep it from sticking. He'd look it up online later if it didn't work, assuming Tony wasn't using the computer. On second thought, maybe he'd see if he could get permission to go to the library and use the computer there. He needed to get a book for his English class anyway, so Tony would probably approve of the outing. Maybe. If he felt like it.

Quatre gathered the laundry and started a load before going outside. His stomach grumbled, but he ignored it. Tony always complained about how much Quatre ate, so he tried not to eat anything at home. He sighed. Eating at school was going to make the weekends that much harder. He shook off the thought and headed into the shed in the backyard. He decided he would start with weeding the flower beds while it was still relatively cool outside.

He grabbed an oversized pair of gardening gloves and a trowel and set to work. He kept an eye on his watch and slipped inside as the wash cycle was finishing. He moved it into the dryer and put another load in to wash. He repeated the process of watching the clock as he weeded and finishing the laundry until the laundry was done. It was nearly one o'clock when he finished weeding the flower beds. The laundry was finished, folded and put away. He wiped the sweat from his forehead and started putting the pulled up weeds into a trash bag.

"Aren't you finished yet, boy?"

Quatre swallowed and stood up. "N-not quite, sir. I didn't want to wake you up with the lawn mower."

"Worthless…" Tony turned to go back inside.

"Um, s-sir?"

"WHAT?"

"W-was there anything else you wanted me to do with the yard?"

Tony thought about it. "Not today. Once you finish mowing the lawn I want you to go to the store. I'll have the list ready."

"Y-yes, sir."

Tony went back inside and Quatre breathed a sigh of relief. Tony had been known to have him trim the highest branches of any trees in the backyard and, truth be told, Quatre was a little afraid of heights. Tony knew this of course, but he used it to torture his son.

Quatre mowed the lawn and cleaned up the tools. He went inside and, not seeing Tony on the couch, went upstairs. Listening at the door to the 'office' confirmed that Tony was currently occupied. He knew better than to interrupt. Quatre slipped into the bathroom and took a two-minute shower. He dressed quickly and went back down to the kitchen. On the counter were a few bills and a list, most of which was written in Quatre's handwriting. Quatre grabbed them and left before Tony finished up and gave him something else to do.

He rode the bus to the grocery store and found everything on the list, comparing the prices to be sure he could afford everything. He made his purchases and rode the bus back, struggling with the heavy bags. He was almost grateful to be home as he put away the groceries and cleaned the downstairs again. Tony made it a point to leave a mess because it was Quatre's job to clean it up.

He went upstairs to find Tony passed out on his bed. He went through the upstairs and cleaned up after Tony. He wondered how it was possible to be related to such a pig. But until he was eighteen or out of high school, he didn't have anywhere else to go. He sighed again and went into his room to try and finish up his homework. He scanned the required reading list again. He'd read a number of the books and could probably pull off a reasonable summary and review without re-reading them, but it would be nice to at least have the book for reference. He didn't dare wake Tony to ask if he could go to the library, and leaving without permission wouldn't be good. He decided that he would ask Tony if he could go tomorrow. It was probably too late to go today anyway. By the time the bus got there, the library would likely be closed.

The doorbell rang.

Quatre dashed downstairs before Tony woke up. He inched the door open and peered out. He groaned inside his head. Duo stood on the porch.

"Hey, Quat!"

"Shhh…my dad's asleep, Duo. Don't wake him up."

"Oh, sorry, man. Hey, you wanna go play some ball down at the park?"

"I can't. I've got homework to finish."

"Oh…too bad. Maybe another time?"

"Yeah. Thanks, though."

Duo turned to leave and Quatre quickly shut the door.

"Who was that?"

Quatre stiffened as he turned to face Tony. "J-just a guy from school, sir."

Tony's eyes narrowed. "What did he want?"

"H-he wanted to know if I wanted to play basketball again, sir."

"What did you tell him?"

"Th-that I couldn't, sir."

Tony's expression didn't change as he thought about his next question. "Is he…like you?"

"I-I don't think so, sir. H-he's on the basketball team and I think he's dating a cheerleader." Quatre wasn't sure that was true, but Tony wouldn't know.

"Go to the park and play."

"Sir?" Quatre wasn't sure that he believed his ears.

"Maybe hanging out with a boy like that will teach you how to be one."

Quatre knew he should have been insulted, but he wasn't about to question Tony's reasoning. "Y-yes, sir." He started to open the door when he remembered about the library. Tony seemed to be in a good mood, so he took a chance. "Um, sir? I was wondering if I could go to the library tomorrow. I have to read a book for my English class and we don't have it." He spoke quickly, not wanting to lose his nerve.

"Yeah, I guess. As long as your chores are done."

"Th-thank you, sir." Quatre slipped out the door before Tony could change his mind about letting him play basketball. He jogged down the street, slowing to a walk once he was a few houses down.

He had decided that he was too sore to play basketball. Between the beating last night and the yard work today, he wondered if he'd be able to move tomorrow. If he got there after the game was in progress, he could watch but they might not expect him to play. He got to the park and headed towards the basketball court. He could see four boys on the court, but he wasn't sure if they were playing a game or just practicing their free throws. He sat on the picnic table next to the court, not wanting to disrupt their concentration.

Duo sank a shot from half court. "Oh yeah! Beat that Tro'!"

Trowa rolled his eyes, but took the shot and sank it. "It's not that hard, Duo."

Duo turned to retort and saw Quatre sitting on the picnic table. "HEY QUAT! I thought you couldn't come!"

"I can't do the rest of my homework until I go to the library tomorrow, so I decided to come down."

"Sweet. Wanna play H.O.R.S.E.?"

"Um…not really."

"Why not?"

"Duo, leave him alone. If he doesn't want to play, he doesn't have to," Heero reproached the braided teen.

Duo sat next to Quatre on the table. "Tell me something, Quat. If you're not going to play, why did you bother to come?"

Quatre slid off the table. "Fine, I'll go." He started to walk off.

"Hey, wait a minute! I was only kidding!" Duo reached out and grabbed Quatre's shoulder.

Quatre couldn't stop himself from yelping. Duo had a fairly strong grip and the shoulder he grabbed was the one that Quatre had landed on when Tony pulled him out of bed last night.

Duo immediately released him, his wide-eyed expression betraying his concern. "I'm sorry. I-I didn't mean…"

Quatre turned to face him quickly. "It's okay. I guess I'm more sore than I thought. I had to weed the flower beds and mow the lawn this morning. That's why I'm not really in the mood to play."

"Well why didn't you say so?"

"You didn't give him a chance, Duo." Trowa glared at him. They'd told him to quit jumping on Quatre because it was obvious he didn't like it and now he'd gone and inadvertently hurt the smaller boy.

"It's okay," Quatre asserted, sitting on the table again. He sat with his legs crossed and settled his elbows on his legs and his chin in his hands. "You guys play, I'll just watch today."

The four boys on the court returned to their game. They were so evenly matched that the game kept dragging on. Quatre wondered how long they could keep it up. Not that he was complaining. Watching the four play was…Quatre wasn't sure how to describe it. They were so fluid in their movements and their teamwork was impressive. He'd noticed it during the game last Sunday.

They finally called it quits. Wufei had an 'H' because he'd missed a shot when Duo goosed him. They argued back and forth on whether or not the 'H' counted until Trowa suggested that they all go to Rashid's. Quatre checked his watch. It wasn't too late. He'd probably be able to tell Tony that the game went on longer than they thought it would, like last time. They piled into Trowa's convertible.

"So Quat…what'd you do with your dad last night?" Duo asked casually.

"Huh? Oh, well, we played a couple hands of poker, got roaring drunk on a fifth of vodka and paid for a prostitute," he answered casually.

Trowa screeched the car to a halt and everyone gaped at Quatre, who was sitting there like it was no big deal. Of course, he couldn't keep the straight face for very long.

Quatre's brought his hands to his mouth as he burst out laughing. "I'm sorry, I couldn't resist. You should see the looks on your faces."

"Nice one, Quat. I'm gonna have to remember that one," Duo said, laughing as well.

The other boys chuckled and Trowa continued down the road, shaking his head.

"So seriously, what'd you do?" Duo pried.

"Made popcorn and watched a movie."

"Now, that, I believe," Duo said with a grin.

At Rashid's they were asked for their order.

"What do you recommend?" Duo asked.

"Why don't I surprise you?"

The boys sat at a table and speculated about what Rashid would make for them. Abdul brought them each a plate and silverware and a soda. Rashid brought out a huge deep dish pizza pan and set it down.

"Um, Rashid, in America, the crust of the pizza goes on the bottom."

"This is no ordinary pizza, Master Duo. Enjoy."

Duo grinned and put the first slice on his plate. Thick strings of cheese followed the piece and he ended up cutting them off. "Excellent. I like it already."

The pizza was stuffed to bursting with cheese, sauce, pepperoni, sausage, onions, green peppers, mushrooms and olives. Quatre was starving after not eating all day and ate three pieces. Duo ate five. As they finished the pizza, Rashid brought out a dessert.

"What do you call this?" Trowa asked.

"Chocolate Lasagna."

"Rashid, I think you've outdone yourself," Duo praised.

"A compliment I very graciously accept, Master Duo."

Quatre felt pleasantly full when they left, and it was making him tired. They loaded into Trowa's car again.

"Hey, why don't we go to my house and watch a movie?" Duo suggested.

Quatre looked at his watch. "I can't. I've got a curfew."

"On the weekend? Harsh."

Quatre gave him a small smile. "Yeah, well, it's just me and dad so he worries."

"Hmmm…I could probably talk your dad into extending your curfew if you want."

"Not tonight, Duo. I'm actually pretty wiped out from all that yard work I did this morning. And I'm sure that once we live here for a bit my dad will loosen up. The curfew is really in place right now because he's not too sure how safe the area is and no amount of talking will change his mind until he wants it to be changed." The last part was true, at least.

They dropped him off and Quatre went inside to find Tony and four other men playing poker in the living room.

"Where were you, boy?"

"P-playing basketball, sir."

Tony looked down his nose at Quatre as the other four men looked on. "How did you do?"

"N-not too bad, I think, sir. I…um…I made the winning shot for my team." That had been true of the last game, so it wasn't an outright lie.

Tony grunted and returned to the game. Quatre was about to go upstairs when he heard, "Get us some cold beers, boy."

"Y-yes, sir." Quatre quickly did as he was told and asked Tony if there was anything else he wanted.

"Actually, there is. That kid you played basketball with is on the school's team, right?"

"Y-yes, sir."

"I'm told there's a kid on the team named Chang. Stay away from him."

Wufei? Why? Quatre couldn't think of a reason. "Um…I think he has gym the same period as me, sir. But I'm not positive. There are a couple of boys from the team in that class."

"Stay away from him, boy."

"Y-yes, sir, as much as I can, sir."

"You still here? Get out of my sight."

Quatre beat it up the stairs. He laid on his bed wondering what Tony had been told about the Chinese boy and if he knew that Wufei lived across the street.


	9. Chapter 8

**A/N: I know that I said I would be posting on Sundays, but I'm going to be stuck in the mountains this weekend and won't be back until Monday. So I decided that rather than make you wait, you can have this chapter early. Do you want me to update again on Monday when I get back or should I wait until the next Sunday for the next chapter? Let me know what you want. :)**

* * *

**Chapter 8**

Quatre woke up early again and went through his morning ritual of cleaning the house. Tony's winnings were still on the poker table. Judging by the amount, he would likely be in a good mood today. It also explained why he hadn't gotten a midnight beating.

Tony Winner was nowhere to be seen. Quatre frowned. He usually slept until about noon. He wasn't upstairs or on the couch. Quatre went through the house again, double checking that everything was clean and as it should be. He even went and checked the yard to make sure nothing was out of place so Tony wouldn't have any reason to complain. He was just about to go back inside when a beat up green station wagon pulled into the driveway. It ended up partially on the lawn. One of the men from Tony's poker game last night practically fell out of the driver's side door.

"Hey, boy," the man slurred thickly, "come get your old man."

Quatre hurried to the car and found Tony in the passenger seat. He opened the door and reached in, but his hands were batted away.

"Don' needany hellllp." Tony stumbled out of the car and would have landed on his face if Quatre hadn't been there to catch him.

The other man giggled drunkenly. "I tole ya not ta try 'n outdrink me."

"I'll sssshow you, Kushenra-ra…K!" He belched in Quatre's face as they went inside. Quatre tried not to gag at the stench as he hauled Tony to the couch. There was no way he'd be able to get the man upstairs. Tony passed out almost as soon as he landed on the cushions. Quatre closed the blinds to make it as dark as possible in the living room and left a large glass of water and some pain killers on the table.

Deciding that now was as good a time as any to go to the library, Quatre grabbed his bus pass and slipped out the door, locking it behind him. He was glad that Tony's drinking buddy was gone. He'd been exposed early to what happened when idiots got drunk and he had no desire to relive any of it here if he could avoid it. Quatre shoved the memories away as he watched out the bus windows for his stop.

The library was an older building that had a large staircase and columns on the outside. It seemed a little cliché to Quatre, but it was nice at the same time. Something about it just felt familiar. He supposed it was because he had always escaped into books and going to the library was a little like visiting old friends that you never completely forgot.

He spent a few hours just wandering the building, getting a feel for where everything was and what was in the collection. Quatre figured he could come up with an unlimited number of excuses to need the library which would give him the chance to be out of the house and away from Tony. As much of a jerk as Tony was, he always made sure that Quatre did his homework. Quatre figured it was so that no one would ask questions. If he was doing poorly in class, they'd want to talk to Tony and that might lead to other things.

Of course, Quatre did well for purely selfish reasons. In addition to avoiding Tony's wrath, Quatre hoped to get at least one full ride scholarship. He didn't care where as long as it got him away from Tony. Finding the book he wanted, Quatre made his way to the front counter and spoke to the librarian about getting a card. He was a little nervous because most libraries required a parent signature to get a card. Fortunately, the library policy didn't require Tony to come in and sign anything.

Quatre checked out his book, giving the librarian a smile and headed home. He read on the bus and nearly missed his stop. He rounded the corner and ran into Wufei and Duo, who were on their way to the park again.

"Hey, Quat! I was just lookin' for ya! Wanna go shoot some hoops, or are you still sore today?"

"Um…I don't know if I can. I'll have to check with my dad first."

"I don't think he's home. I rang your bell and no one answered."

Quatre cursed inwardly. If Duo had woken up Tony he'd catch it for sure. "He may have been sleeping. Or he may have just decided not to answer. Look, I've gotta run this library book home anyway so why don't I check and if I can play I'll meet you back here in ten minutes, okay?"

Duo shrugged. "Okay."

Wufei and Duo watched as the blonde jogged down the street to his house.

"See what I mean? He totally cringed when I said I rang his bell. I'm beginning to wonder if he even has a dad."

Wufei shook his head. "No, Duo, we've seen him, remember? That first day we met Quatre he was on their porch when we came back from the park. My father even played poker with him last night. But I think I am beginning to agree with you. Something's…off."

Duo gave his friend a concerned look. "So how are things going at home for you?"

"Same as always, Duo. Nothing has changed and nothing will regardless of what my father wishes to think."

Their conversation tapered off as they waited to see if Quatre would come back. When he didn't, Duo shrugged and started towards the park.

"No point in waiting. He said ten minutes and he knows where we'll be."

Wufei looked down the street for a moment, resisting the urge to check on the smaller boy.

"Come on, 'Fei. 'Ro and Tro' are waiting."

Wufei sighed and turned to follow his friend. Something was definitely off. He just wished he knew what it was.

* * *

Quatre got home and opened the door. Tony was no longer sleeping.

"Where the HELL have you been?"

"Y-you said yesterday that I c-could go to the l-library, sir."

"I said you could after your chores were done. Look at this mess!" Tony indicated the mess that had obviously been made in Quatre's absence. He grabbed Quatre by the shoulder and threw him into the living room. "Now get this sty cleaned up. And I'm having company tonight so you'd better get dinner ready."

Quatre picked himself up from among the bottles and garbage on the floor. "W-what would you like for dinner, sir?"

"Steak. Medium Rare with a side of mashed potatoes. And don't screw it up."

"H-how many are coming over, sir?"

"Make enough for one. Company won't be eating."

"Yes, sir." Quatre cleaned the living room as quickly as he could and went into the kitchen to start Tony's dinner. He was just setting it on the dining room table when the doorbell rang. He answered it to find a woman dressed very skimpily and wearing way too much makeup.

"Well ain't you a cutie?" she said in a high voice with a very thick accent. Quatre thought it made her sound like a bimbo. "Your dad at home?"

"Yes, ma'am. This way."

"Ma'am…ain't that rich!" She followed him into the living room where Tony was sitting on the couch.

Tony looked at Quatre. "You get dinner finished, boy?"

"Y-yes, sir."

"Good. Keep her busy for me while I eat." Tony stood and looked at the woman. "Your time starts now, I suggest you don't waste my money." He left them alone in the living room.

The woman's predatory look was tinged with amusement.

Quatre shut his eyes as he resigned himself to his father's whims.


	10. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

Quatre had never been so glad to be going to school. He didn't want to be home even though he hadn't been able to start work on his English paper until after his father's company left and he was exhausted.

"Hey, Quat, if you keep yawning like that your head's gonna split in half," Duo teased him.

"Sorry," Quatre said, stifling another yawn. "I didn't sleep very well last night."

Duo shrugged. "Yeah, well you missed out on a killer basketball game. I'm thinkin' I should come and have a chat with your old man. You spend way too much time at home."

"Let it go, Duo!" The other four boys in the car looked at Quatre. He'd never used that tone before. Trowa pulled into a parking space and killed the engine.

"Is there something going on, Quatre?" Trowa asked quietly.

Quatre jumped out of the back of the convertible. "No," he said quietly, refusing to turn around and look at the boys in the car. He headed inside the school, not waiting for the others.

"He's lying," Duo said quietly. The others nodded their agreement.

"I'll try to talk to him later," Heero said. "In the meantime, try not to annoy him too much Duo."

* * *

Quatre made it to home room without incident. He wasn't sure why Treize hadn't shown up to bother him, but he wasn't complaining. He didn't acknowledge Trowa and Heero when they came in just before the bell rang. He felt bad for yelling at Duo, but he was exhausted and it was making him irritable. Maybe by lunch he'd be able to apologize.

"Quatre?"

He looked up to see Miss Une. "Yes, Ma'am?"

"Don't forget that you're supposed to meet in the library during class today. Sign in with Miss Bloom and she'll show you the ropes."

"Yes, Ma'am, thank you."

Heero leaned forward. "Did they tell you who you're tutoring yet?"

Quatre shook his head, but didn't turn around. Trowa gave Heero a look and Heero shook his head. Now was not the time to ask the blonde what was going on. Class ended and they gathered their books.

"See you at lunch?"

Quatre gave the Japanese boy a look and a noncommittal shrug before stalking out of the room.

Heero frowned. There was no question in any of their minds that something was deeply wrong with their new friend. But they didn't know him well enough to know how to go about helping him. It was a catch-22. They didn't know him well enough to help him, but he wouldn't let them know enough about him so that they could help him because he didn't seem to want their help. He'd said before that he didn't think that they should be friends with him. Maybe this was his way of making them stop being his friends.

* * *

Quatre sat through Howard's lecture, but his mind wasn't on the fall of Rome. He'd snapped at his friends. He felt awful about it, but maybe it was better this way. If Tony knew what he'd been thinking last night, where his mind had gone….

A ball of paper hit the back of Quatre's head. He didn't need to look to know who'd thrown it. He really wasn't in the mood to deal with Treize today. Maybe he should have risked staying home. He could have hidden in his closet until Tony left for work, right?

"Answer the question Mr. Kushrenada. It was in your reading assignment."

Quatre's attention snapped back to class. It was lucky that Howard hadn't asked him a question because he wasn't paying attention.

"No, Treize, Julius Caesar was not the last Roman Emperor. I swear, as many times as you've taken this class you should be able to teach it." Most of the class laughed. "I suppose that next you'll tell me that the Huns invaded China using the Trojan Horse." Again, the class laughed.

"Do you have to do that?"

Howard turned to look at Quatre. The boy hadn't said two words the entire week before but now he was standing next to his desk looking very angry.

"Excuse me?"

"You don't have to speak to him like that. It's uncalled for." Quatre was sure he'd get in trouble but today he just didn't care. He'd been tetchy all day and he was tired of hearing Howard's bullying. He hadn't said anything nice to Treize the week before and seemed to go out of his way to find a reason to tease the older boy. While there was no love lost between them, Quatre couldn't bring himself to stand by when someone else was being bullied, even when it _was_ the bully.

Howard didn't know what to say. He'd been teasing Treize for the last year and since it hadn't ever seemed to bother the older boy, Howard had made it a habit. It didn't mean he liked having Quatre point it out in front of the whole class.

"This is my class and I will teach it how I see fit. If you have a problem with that Mr. Winner, you are free to leave."

To Howard's surprise, Quatre grabbed his bag and left without a backwards glance. If he had looked back, he would have seen Treize watching him intently.

* * *

Quatre went to his locker. 'Might as well drop off this history book,' he thought. He was supposed to be in class and he knew he'd be in trouble if he got caught, so he decided to wait out the class period in the bathroom. He looked at himself in the mirror, and was surprised to see how dead his eyes looked today.

'That's how they know something's wrong,' he thought. 'It's so obvious…' He shut his eyes, blocking out his reflection. 'I have to learn how to fake it. Then they won't worry and they won't ask. If I can fake it everything will go back to how it was.'

"Well, well. Who are you?"

Quatre's eyes snapped open. In the mirror he could see a boy standing behind him. He looked remarkably similar to Coach Merquise, right down to the long white-blonde hair. Milliardo. Hadn't Wufei told him not to get caught alone with him? Crap.

"Well? Are you going to answer my question? Or are you going to make me guess?" The boy in the mirror had taken a step closer to Quatre's reflection. He leaned down next to Quatre's ear, watching the reaction in the mirror. "Because I like games. Shall we play one?"

A shudder ran down Quatre's spine at the tone. He spun around and found himself trapped between the sink and Milliardo. Milliardo's hand caressed Quatre's cheek and lifted his chin. "I think I'm going to have fun playing with you."

"Milliardo, what are you doing?"

"Why hello, Treize. I've found a new toy. Would you like to share it?" Milliardo's eyes never left Quatre's. He was quite enjoying the terror in those large aqua orbs.

"I already told you that this one is mine and you know how I hate to share."

Milliardo brought his face close to Quatre's. "More's the pity. I could have had a lot of fun with you." He stepped back, but Quatre didn't move, unsure of what was going to happen now.

"I'll deal with you later, Sweetheart. Get out."

Quatre didn't need to be told twice. He dashed out of the bathroom just as the bell rang for classes to get out. He made his way to Business Ethics as quickly as he could, not wanting to get caught again. He dropped into his seat.

"Hey, Quatre, right?"

He nodded to the blonde girl. "I'm Relena. Look, I've noticed that you've been hanging around with Heero and I was wondering if you could do me a favor."

"What kind of favor?" Having just met her brother, Quatre really didn't want anything to do with her.

"I only want you to give him this letter. You see, I left one in his locker last week but I think I might have gotten the wrong one because he never answered it. This way, I know he'll get it."

"Why don't you just give it to him?"

"Because I don't have any classes with him and the lunch room is too public for such a private matter."

"Miss Peacecraft, take your seat."

Relena sat down, but left the letter on Quatre's desk. He sighed and put it into his bag. It wouldn't hurt to give it to Heero and it seemed that Relena wasn't taking 'no' for an answer.

Mr. Darlian's lecture was dry, but Quatre forced himself to take notes. This was one class that he'd already committed to passing and he wasn't about to let a bad day screw that up. Still, he was relieved when class ended and he was on his way to the library.

He introduced himself to the woman at the desk and she showed him where to sign in so that he wouldn't be considered absent from class. She gave him a quick rundown of the rules: No yelling, no running, no fighting, etc. She then told him to find a table and she would send his student to him when he showed up.

Quatre sat at a table near the window and looked outside. The day had become overcast and the green in the trees was highlighted by the darkness of the sky. He wondered how it did that. You'd think that if the sun was covered by clouds the colors would become muted but for some reason the green of the trees and the grass stuck out.

He sighed as he once again considered how to apologize to his friends. He knew they didn't deserve to have him grouch at them. It wasn't their fault. But he couldn't exactly explain it to them either. That would cause even more problems. Maybe he wouldn't have to say anything. Maybe it would just blow over. Quatre wasn't sure because he hadn't had any real friends in so long. Maybe he should just keep up the act of being angry. At least if he alienated his friends then Tony couldn't do it later.

"Hello, Sweetheart."


	11. Chapter 10

**A/N: Whoops! I just noticed a mistake I made, but nobody commented so maybe it's not a big deal. But, in case any of you did notice and it's bugging you, I would like to say that I'm sorry and Quatre's class will be Business Ethics, not Business Economics. My bad!**

* * *

**Chapter 10**

Heero was distracted by his thoughts on the blonde through Gym, Journalism, and AP Calculus. He decided to skip History, knowing that Trowa would let him copy his notes later and headed down the music hall. He was unsure where the Orchestra room was, but didn't think it would be that hard to figure out. He turned the corner and nearly tripped over someone sitting on the floor.

"Quatre! What are you doing on the floor?"

The boy was sitting against the wall with his legs pulled up and his arms across them. His face was buried in his arms. He looked up, bleary eyed, as Heero knelt down next to him.

"Hm? Oh, hi, Heero. What time is it?"

"Time for you to be in class. Are you okay?"

"Yeah…I must have fallen asleep." Quatre rubbed his eyes. "Why aren't you in class?"

Heero didn't answer him for a minute. It sounded a little bit lame to say that he'd been worried about the smaller boy, but he didn't have another excuse, either.

"I, uh, was curious about how your tutoring went and I wanted to ask."

"You skipped class to ask me something you could ask at lunch?" Quatre asked with a frown.

"Well I wasn't sure you were coming to lunch. You were pretty mad at us this morning."

Quatre sighed. "I'm sorry. I wasn't mad at you guys, but I took it out on you. I shouldn't have."

"Can I ask what you were mad at?"

Quatre shut his eyes. "I had an argument with my dad. He thinks I'm hanging out with you guys too much and not focusing on my studies like I should."

"It's only the second week of class."

"I know. But he just…" Quatre looked at Heero. "Why would he tell me to stay away from Wufei?"

The question completely threw Heero. "He told you to stay away from Wufei?"

Quatre nodded. "I can't figure out why and my dad won't tell me, either. You've been his friend for a long time. Can you tell me?"

Heero had an idea why, but it wasn't his place to say. "Maybe you should ask Wufei. But…for what my opinion is worth, I think your dad has been given some bad information."

"That's what I thought, too." Quatre fell silent, ruminating over the problem of Wufei.

"So how did tutoring go?"

"I have to tutor Treize."

"Seriously?!"

"Yeah. He didn't try anything but that might be because Miss Bloom was watching us."

"Quatre, if you don't want to tutor him, just tell Miss Une. I'm sure she can find you someone else."

"I'll give him a week. If he does anything, I'll go straight to Une. But until I have a reason other than 'I don't want to' I don't think she'll listen."

"Hmmm…good point. But if he does something, you'll tell us, won't you?"

Quatre nodded. "But I'm not sure that he will."

"Just because a teacher's watching it doesn't mean he won't try to pull something."

"It isn't that, Heero. He…saved me today."

"He what?"

Quatre explained what happened in Howard's class and the bathroom.

Heero frowned. "Quatre, I don't think you should read too much into that. I mean, I hope that you're right and he doesn't mean you any harm, but he has a reputation for…targeting younger boys. He may have just been saving you for himself, like he told Milliardo. I've heard some rumors and I don't want anything like that to happen to you."

"I'll be careful, Heero. And if I need help with him I promise to get help, okay?"

Heero nodded, trying to hide his worry that the younger boy's naïveté was going to get him into trouble. "Well, since class is just about over, why don't we go to the cafeteria and beat the line?"

He stood and offered Quatre a hand up. They went to their lockers and made their way to the cafeteria.

Trowa showed up first and Heero borrowed his History notes and started copying them. When Duo and Wufei joined them at the table, Duo offered Quatre an apology.

"No, Duo. I'm the one that should apologize. I had a fight with my dad and I took it out on you. That wasn't fair of me."

"Hey no worries, Quat. It happens to the best of us."

Quatre wanted to ask Wufei why his father wanted him to stay away, but decided that the lunch room was too public of a place for that conversation.

"OH! Heero, here, I forgot to give you this." Quatre pulled the envelope out of his backpack and held it out to Heero. "It's from…um…Relena? Yeah, Relena wanted me to give this to you."

Heero looked at the envelope as if it was a venomous snake poised to strike. "Throw it away."

Quatre blinked at Heero in confusion. "Why?"

Duo smirked. "I see you didn't ask Heero about Relena yet. Go on 'Ro, tell him."

Heero glared at the braided boy. "You need to quit meddling, Duo."

"But it's so much fun," he responded with a smirk. "Besides, until Quatre knows he'll keep letting Her Royal Pinkness give him crap to give to you."

Heero rolled his eyes. "You just like to hear me say it, don't you?"

Duo's smirk widened. "Hell yeah I do."

Heero groaned. "Fine." He leaned across the table to Quatre, keeping his voice low. "Relena's convinced that I love her."

"Why?"

"Because I held her hand in _Kindergarten_ on a field trip."

"That's it?"

"Yes. And she hasn't quit stalking me since."

"Well, ignoring her isn't going to make her stop."

"I've told her numerous times. I've had other people tell her. I even…never mind."

"Oh come on, 'Ro, this is the best part!" Duo was snickering now. "If you don't tell him now I'll tell him in the locker room before gym."

"Omae o korosu, Duo."

"Promises, promises, 'Ro."

Heero opened his mouth to say something when his eyes narrowed. Quatre turned to see what he was looking at. Treize was sitting at another table, but his focus was on Quatre.

"Anything happen in the library that you didn't tell me about?" Heero asked Quatre quietly.

"No. Treize surprised me by actually attempting to do a math problem. I mean, once I saw that it was him, I figured he wouldn't do anything but ignore me. But other than that…" Quatre shrugged.

"Hmm…well, just promise me you'll watch your back, okay?"

"Yes, Heero, I promise. We've been over this, remember?"

"I know, but…I don't like it. He's plotting something."

"Alright, what're you two whispering about?" Duo broke in. "I wanna be in on any gossip."

The bell rang. "We'll have to tell you later, Duo." Heero stood up and started for class with Quatre close behind.

Quatre yawned his way through Advanced Physics and English. Playing volleyball in gym helped him to wake up a bit.

"That was weird," Duo commented as they left the gym.

"What?"

"You didn't notice, Quat? Treize didn't go near you once today."

"Maybe he's bored already."

Duo thought it over and gave Wufei a look. "Not likely. He's gotta be planning something."

Wufei nodded his agreement. "We'll have to watch him."

"Watch who?" Trowa had walked up behind them.

"Treize. I think he's plotting something," Duo said casually.

"Hm. Well, no use worrying about it now. Who's up for Rashid's?"


	12. Chapter 11

**A/N: Thanks for the review, Artemis! This might answer a few questions...or make more...mwahahaha!**

**Chapter 11**

Quatre woke up Wednesday morning with a headache. He barely managed to get the house in order and out the door on time because his head was pounding so badly. At least he didn't have to walk to school, for which he was extremely grateful.

"Hey, Quat, you feeling okay?"

"Huh? Yeah, just woke up with a headache. Painkillers haven't kicked in yet." Not that he'd actually taken any. Tony counted and would know if Quatre used any.

"Bummer." Duo was kind enough to be almost silent for the majority of the ride to school.

Quatre struggled to focus in his classes. His head was pounding so hard that he could have sworn that it made him involuntarily jerk. He just wanted to put his head down and shut his eyes. The lights hurt. Noise hurt. Moving hurt.

When he got to the library, Quatre picked a table that wasn't in Miss Bloom's direct line of sight and put his head in his arms. The darkness felt good.

"Quatre? Are you feeling okay?"

Quatre looked up. "You realize that's the first time you haven't called me 'sweetheart'?"

"Did you miss it? Because I can call you that if you like it."

Quatre sighed. "No, Treize, I really don't like it. It's creepy if you want to know the truth." Quatre frowned. "Why are you being so nice to me all of a sudden?"

"Because…because you never laughed when Howard made fun of me. And you called him out on it. You didn't have to but you did."

"He shouldn't treat anyone like that."

"But no one else ever said so."

Quatre wasn't sure because of how loudly his blood was rushing through his head, but it sounded like Treize was sad. Quatre wondered what secrets Treize had that made him act the way he did. But he wasn't going to pry. He didn't know the older boy very well and he still wasn't sure if Treize was just playing with him.

Treize didn't say anything else the whole hour. He just let Quatre sit at the table with his head down. He wanted the time to think things over anyway. Quatre had every reason to laugh at him when Howard poked fun. But he didn't. Treize had targeted the boy, thinking he'd be easy prey, even with Heero and his teammates protecting him. He still wanted to try and seduce Quatre, the blonde was pretty gorgeous. But now, instead of doing it by employing fear and taking what he wanted, he wanted to woo the boy and earn his trust. That was a new one. Milliardo would laugh at him if he found out.

And he still had his reputation to protect. He wondered if he could make it work. Maybe if he explained to Quatre his predicament, he would understand. Treize glanced at the clock and shook Quatre awake.

"Hey, it's time to go to your next class."

"Hm? Oh, thanks, Treize." Quatre's headache was a little better, but still there.

Treize wasn't sure, but he thought Quatre looked a little flushed. "You sure you shouldn't go home?"

"No, I'll be fine." Quatre got up to leave. Treize grabbed his arm.

"Hey, Quatre, I just want to get one thing straight. I…I still have a reputation to protect so what goes on in the library, stays in the library, got it?"

"If that's what you want."

Treize released Quatre and followed the boy's progress out the door with his eyes. He sighed. At least he knew he'd have an hour a day to work his charms on the blonde. And he hoped that what he did the rest of the day didn't have too much influence on how Quatre felt about him in return.

* * *

"Quatre are you feeling okay?"

"Hm?" Quatre looked up from his lunch as he tried to make sense of Wufei's question. He wasn't hungry so he was just pushing his food around with a fork. His head still hurt.

"Seriously, Quat, you're not lookin' so hot." Duo frowned at him from across the table.

"I'm fine. Just tired." He went back to pushing food around his plate as his friends talked. He wasn't paying attention to their conversation because focusing on it made the pain in his head more pronounced.

A cool hand found its way to his forehead. "Come on, I'll take you home."

"I said I'm fine, Heero."

Heero snorted. Quatre's cheeks were flushed and he was paler than usual.

The bell rang and Quatre got to his feet only to be hit with a dizzy spell. Wufei and Heero grabbed him.

"Trowa, let me borrow your car."

Trowa tossed his keys and Heero grabbed them out of the air.

"Need help?" Duo asked, his voice laced with concern.

"No, I've got him. Get to class. I'll be back."

Heero slung both of their backpacks over his shoulder and slid his other arm around Quatre, keeping him upright and guiding him out to Trowa's car.

"Heero I don't need to go home," Quatre mumbled.

"Yes, you do."

"I don't _want _to." Quatre was leaning heavily on Heero now, his head barely reaching the older boy's shoulder.

"Come on, pushing yourself this hard isn't good for you." Heero opened the passenger door and tried to get Quatre in.

"I said NO!" Quatre pushed Heero away and instantly regretted it as he ended up on his hands and knees. The world spun around him.

"Quatre please let me help you."

"I can't go home." Quatre's voice was tiny and fearful to Heero's ears.

"Why not?"

"He'll be mad at me. I'm…I'm supposed to be in class."

"Your dad will understand if you're sick."

Quatre leaned back so he was against the car. "Ha. I should know better."

"Quatre you can't control when you get sick."

"Tell it to him. He might listen to you."

Heero watched as Quatre leaned his head against the car and shut his eyes. It seemed to Heero as if Quatre was trying to tell him something. Or it could just be the fever talking.

"Come on, before you get worse." Heero reached out to lift Quatre off the ground when the blonde grabbed his outstretched hand.

"No, Heero." Quatre's eyes slowly opened partway. "Please?"

Heero wasn't sure if it was the words, the frightened tone, or the desperate pleading in those aqua eyes, but he nodded. "Okay, Quatre. I won't take you to your house. But you can't stay at school either. Unless you'd like to go to the nurse?"

Quatre's eyes widened. "No, please, Heero. No."

Heero was confused by this, but assuming it was the fever talking, he agreed. Quatre let Heero help him up and put him in Trowa's car. Heero left the school realizing that the only place he could take Quatre was his own home. Not that it was really a problem, but it meant that Heero wouldn't be returning to school today. Which meant that the others would have to walk home.

Heero pulled into his driveway. His stepfather was on a business trip accompanied by his mother, so Heero was on his own for the next few days.

He lifted a sleeping Quatre from the car. Heero frowned. Quatre didn't weigh as much as he expected. The blonde whimpered, but didn't wake as Heero took him inside and up the stairs to his room. Setting the smaller boy on the bed, Heero slid off Quatre's shoes and pulled a blanket over him.

Heero couldn't help but notice how young and vulnerable Quatre looked when he was asleep. Heero sighed. He may as well get his homework done. He'd have to make up today's missed classwork tomorrow.

Heero finished his homework and checked on Quatre. The smaller boy was tossing and whimpering on the bed, stuck in a bad dream. Heero wasn't sure if he should try to wake Quatre up. Just then Quatre bolted upright with a cry, his eyes unfocused. He took a few deep breaths before his eyes rolled back in his head and he collapsed on the bed.

Heero quickly checked Quatre's breathing and pulse. His pulse was quick, probably due to the fever. He had to get the boy's temperature down. If it didn't go down, Quatre would have to go to the hospital.

Heero's cell phone rang. "Yeah?"

"Hey, where's my car?"

"At my house. Get over here, I need your help."

"With what?"

"Just get here."

Heero hung up and did a quick internet search on how to lower a temperature. Some suggestions were stupid, like holding the person upside down and having them drink a glass of water. But maybe the lukewarm bath would work. Quatre groaned in his sleep, further worrying Heero.

Trowa burst into Heero's room, breathing heavily. He'd run from the school and they'd been friends for so long that niceties like ringing the doorbell just didn't apply anymore.

"What's up?" he demanded.

"We've got to get his temperature down."

"Why didn't you just take him home?"

"He _begged_ me not to. The only way I could get him in your car was to promise I wouldn't."

Trowa would've rolled his eyes, but he was too concerned about their friend. His behavior the last few days had worried them all and this was just another piece of the jumbled puzzle.

Trowa frowned and his brows furrowed. "What do you suggest we do, Heero?"

Quatre started shivering and Heero found that he was drenched in sweat. Running a hand over the blonde's sweat slicked forehead Heero breathed a sigh of relief.

"It just broke. He's soaked. We'll need to get him out of his clothes before he gets a chill." Heero reached into a dresser drawer and pulled out a pair of shorts and a tank top. He hoped that they wouldn't fall off the smaller boy but he didn't have anything closer to Quatre's size.

He started to unbutton Quatre's shirt but stopped halfway down. Trowa noticed that Heero had frozen and moved to see what the problem was. Heero snapped out of it. He quickly unbuttoned the rest of Quatre's shirt and flung the two sides open.

* * *

**A/N: Ain't I a stinker?**


	13. Chapter 12

**A/N:Thanks for the review, Random Guest! More reviews are always welcome, but as stated on my profile page, I don't believe in holding my stories hostage if I don't get them. As long as I know someone is reading, I'll do my best to keep posting until the story is done.**

**Chapter 12**

Dark purple rimmed in red mixed with yellow green and stood out in stark contrast to the creamy skin of the blonde. The bruises covered the majority of his shoulders and torso and it looked like they continued down his arms and legs.

Quatre's eyes fluttered open. He remembered Heero taking him away from school, but it was fuzzy after that. He was cold. He looked up and saw Trowa and Heero above him. His eyes widened as he saw the mixture of concern and horror in their eyes.

"NO!" Quatre pushed Heero's hands away from his shirt. "No. Don't." He scrambled off the bed, but lost his balance and would have fallen if Trowa hadn't caught him.

"Quatre, what…what happened?" Heero's voice was soft and full of concern.

"You-you're not s-supposed t-to know," Quatre managed through chattering teeth. He was shivering as Trowa held him up. He was soaked and cold.

"Quatre, you need to get some dry clothes on." Heero held out the shorts and shirt. "It's okay."

Quatre pushed Trowa away and sank to the floor, pulling up his knees and burying his head into his arms. "No…it's not okay. You're not supposed to know." He started sobbing.

Heero brought the clothes around the bed and knelt beside Quatre. "Why aren't we supposed to know?" he asked gently.

"Be-because he…he'll be mad and…and…we'll move again."

Heero looked up at Trowa with a look that asked, 'is this making sense to you?' Trowa shook his head.

"What do you mean, Quatre? Why will you move?"

Quatre slowly lifted his head, his eyes filled with tears and betraying his terror. "N-no one's supposed to know. It makes him angry."

Heero wrapped the smaller boy in his arms. "No one's angry with you, Quatre. We just want to help you." Quatre didn't say anything and he didn't move. "You're soaked. Why don't you take a quick shower and change into some dry clothes so you feel better and then we'll talk, okay?"

Quatre nodded dumbly. Heero helped him to stand up and supported the blonde into the bathroom connected to his bedroom. "Do you need any help?"

Quatre looked as if he wanted to say yes, but he shook his head. Heero nodded. "Okay, but leave the door unlocked and yell if you need us." Quatre nodded and Heero left him alone.

"Now what?" Trowa asked.

"I don't know. We need to find out how long this has been going on and why nothing's been done before." The two boys were lost in their thoughts for a few minutes.

"As much as I hate to admit it, Duo was right," Trowa said, breaking the silence.

"Wow, Tro', can you say that again so I can record it?" Duo was standing in the doorway with Wufei behind him. "And what was I right about?"

Trowa and Heero looked at each other. "Duo…I don't know if…shit." Heero ran a hand through his messy hair, trying to figure out what to tell the other two.

"They may as well know, Heero."

"Know what?" Wufei asked, following Duo into the room.

"What the hell happened, Quat?" Duo's eyes had doubled in size as he looked behind the two older boys.

Heero and Trowa turned to see Quatre standing in the doorway to the bathroom, hair wet and holding the tank top in one hand and keeping the shorts from falling off his small frame with the other. The bruises stopped halfway between his elbows and his wrists and trailed down his legs to just above his ankles. His right shoulder was such a deep shade of purple it was closer to black. He looked like he was about to cry. "Y-you're not supposed to know."

Duo's eyes went dark with rage and he growled, "Who did this? Was it Treize? I'll kill the bastard!"

Quatre's eyes widened. "No. No, it wasn't Treize." He started to tremble. His friends were angry. And it was his fault.

"Duo calm down. Quatre, no one is mad at you. Come over here." The blonde was frozen with fear. Heero walked over to him and put a hand under his chin, lifting it so that he could look into Quatre's eyes. "We want to talk to you, okay? You're not in trouble and no one will hurt you. Come sit and talk with me, okay?"

Quatre nodded slowly, his eyes never leaving Heero's. Heero led him carefully to the bed and they sat down. Duo and Wufei could see that Quatre's back was bruised even worse than his front and it made them sick and angry at the same time. His ribs were visible and his spine stuck out.

"Quatre, when did this start?"

"I...I'm not supposed to tell."

Heero took a breath to calm his growing frustration. "Quatre, we want to help you but we can't if you won't tell us who is hurting you."

Quatre burst into tears. Heero carefully put his arms around the small blonde and started stroking his hair, attempting to soothe him. "Shhhh. It's okay. It'll be okay."

Quatre slowly wrapped his arms around Heero's waist and buried his face into the older boy's chest. "No it won't. He'll make us leave. He'll be mad and…and…" Anything else Quatre had to say got lost in his sobs.

Heero wished his parents were home. They'd probably know how to handle the hysterical boy. Heero thought about how his mother would handle this and let go of Quatre long enough to wrap a blanket around him. He pulled the boy into his lap and rocked him back and forth, letting him cry. He obviously needed to.

Trowa sat in the chair at Heero's desk while Duo sank into a bean bag chair. Wufei leaned against the wall with his arms crossed. They weren't sure how to help so they watched.

After a while, Quatre had cried himself out and sat hiccupping in Heero's arms.

"Trowa, will you go get a glass of water?"

Trowa stood silently and left, returning a short time later with a glass of water that he handed to Quatre. Once his hiccups were gone, Heero took the empty glass and handed it back to Trowa.

"Can you talk to us now?" Heero asked gently.

Quatre took a shuddering breath and nodded. "But you're not supposed to know. No one is."

"We understand, but we want to help you. We don't like to see you hurt. When did this start?"

Quatre bit his lip. "J-just before the divorce."

"When was that?"

"F-four years ago."

Wufei sat next to Heero and rubbed Quatre's back through the blanket. "What happened?"

"M-my dad and my stepmom were fighting a lot and when he got really mad h-he would hit me b-because he said he c-couldn't hit her. H-he said that I sh-should be able to h-handle it like a man."

"I take it that's part of the reason she divorced him?" Wufei asked quietly.

Quatre nodded. "She tried to get c-custody, but since I wasn't hers, they wouldn't let her."

"That's DCFS* for ya. Always doing what's easy instead of what's right," Duo growled. His friend Solo had been in a similar situation. Two years ago, Solo had decided he couldn't handle it and slit his wrists, leaving a blood splattered letter to the Department of Child and Family Services, placing the blame on those who looked the other way. The pain was still fresh for Duo and he didn't want that to happen to Quatre.

"What happened after that, Quatre?" Heero prompted.

"W-we started moving. At first it was because Tony wanted to start over, but th-then I said something and h-he got mad. Someone at school found out he hit me and we moved so he wouldn't get in trouble."

"You mean to tell us that every time someone found out, you moved?" Quatre nodded. "And you've moved so much that you've lost count?" Again, Quatre nodded. "And no one did anything?"

"Th-they never got the chance. W-we would move in the middle of the night, before they could come looking for us. T-Tony can pack up everything in a few hours."

"Is Tony your father?" Trowa asked.

Quatre nodded.

"Why didn't you just run away and stay with a friend?" Duo asked.

"Because Tony always made sure I didn't have any," Quatre said quietly. "Not after—" He buried his face into Heero's shoulder and started crying again.

"Quatre tell us. Tell us what happened," Wufei said quietly, rubbing Quatre's back again.

Quatre tried to calm down, he really did. But being forced to remember his past was taking a horrible toll on him. Coupling that with the knowledge that he still didn't feel very well and his headache was returning, he was just too drained. He shook his head. "Not right now. Please," he begged.

No one had the heart to make him keep talking. Their friend had obviously been through more than even Duo had imagined. They sat in silence, digesting what they'd learned tonight as Quatre stayed in Heero's arms, tears running down his face as he cried silently.

After a while Duo asked, "Doesn't…doesn't your old man feed you?" Duo had a fast metabolism, but even he wasn't that skinny. He realized that it was probably none of his business, but he since the other topic was currently off limits, he had to ask.

"H-he says that I should g-get enough to eat at s-school."

Duo scowled and grumbled something incoherent. Quatre was a new friend but as soon as they met, Duo felt like they'd known each other for years. Duo was fiercely loyal and didn't like to see his friends mistreated. Wufei and Trowa frowned. They didn't like this either. But what could they do?

Heero shifted Quatre so he could look him in the face. "Quatre, you didn't eat lunch today. Are you hungry?"

Quatre was about to nod when his stomach growled loud enough for everyone to hear. He turned pink.

Duo laughed. "If that's not a 'yes' I don't know what is!"

The laughter broke the spell that had been thrown over the five boys.

Heero set Quatre on his feet and said, "Why don't we go to Rashid's?"

Quatre pulled the blanket tighter around himself. "Um…I can't."

"Don't worry, Quatre, we can stop at your place so you can get some clothes that fit."

"It's not that, Trowa. I have to finish my chores or…" His look said it all. He'd get another beating. He'd get beat anyway, but it would be worse if he gave Tony fuel for his anger.

"When does Tony get home?" Wufei asked.

"Usually between eleven and midnight."

"Well, it's only five. Why don't we help you get your chores done and then we can go to Rashid's. It shouldn't take long with five of us."

Quatre looked down. "You don't have to…I can do it."

"Quatre, Quatre, Quatre…" Duo said shaking his head. "If it takes one person five hours to do a job, how long would it take for five people to do the same job working at the same rate?"

Duo could see Quatre actually trying to solve the math problem and he laughed again. Quatre realized that Duo had been teasing him and gave the braided boy a small grin.

"Okay, I get your point."

"Well let's get going. I wanna see what Rashid comes up with today." Duo jumped up and headed down the stairs followed by Trowa and Wufei.

"You should put on a shirt so you don't get cold." Heero held out the tank top.

"It's too big. I can't keep the top and the shorts on at the same time." Quatre turned a little pink.

Heero grinned. "Sorry. I don't have anything smaller. I guess you'll just have to make do with the blanket for now."

Quatre nodded.

Heero placed an arm gently over the blonde's shoulders. "Look, Quatre, I know that you probably don't want us to but we really should call the police."

Quatre looked up at Heero, his eyes large. "It won't do any good. He'll lie. He'll say I got beat up at school or that I fell or that I was playing football or that I was climbing a tree and the branch broke or…or…he'll just make something up and no one will believe me. He'll say I'm just trying to get attention because of my mom and the divorce and all the moving. And then he'll get mad and when we get home, he'll…I'll catch it and we'll leave in the middle of the night and I'll never see you…any of you again."

Heero sighed, realizing how worked up the smaller boy was getting again. "Okay, Quatre. We won't call the police. But I want you to promise that you'll let us know if we need to get you out of there."

Quatre nodded again, relieved that his friend seemed to understand. Heero grabbed Quatre's sweat soaked clothes from the bathroom and Quatre slipped his shoes on before they headed down to the car. When he was in the car, Heero handed Quatre his clothes. His backpack was still there, in the back seat, so Quatre shoved his clothes inside so he wouldn't have to hold them. Duo put an arm around his shoulders as they rode in near silence the few blocks to Quatre's house.

Once inside, Quatre took stock of the mess downstairs.

"What do you need to do?" Trowa asked.

"The dishes need to be washed and put away, the counters wiped off, the floor swept and mopped, any old food in the fridge thrown out, the living room needs to be cleaned up and vacuumed, the laundry needs to be sorted and started, and then whatever mess is upstairs."

Duo looked at him. "Do you do this every day?"

"Um…yeah. Every morning before school and every day after school." He thought for a second before adding, "Tony's a pig."

Duo grinned at that. "Go get some clothes on. We can start down here."

Quatre hesitated before nodding and padding softly up the stairs.

Duo and Heero moved to start cleaning up the living room as Trowa and Wufei started the dishes. There wasn't much by way of furniture or decoration. It was easy to see how Tony could have them completely packed up and out in a matter of hours. The furnishings that were in the house weren't exactly expensive or overly nice, which meant that if Tony really wanted to get out quickly, they could be left behind and easily replaced.

"I say we call the cops and get him out of here," Duo said, keeping his voice low so Quatre wouldn't hear.

"I already talked to him about that. He seems to think that Tony will get out of it and spirit him away in the middle of the night. And it makes me wonder how often that's happened. I'm not sure how to fix this with Quatre as terrified of upsetting Tony as he is. We may just have to play it cool and look for an opening."

"Yeah." Duo frowned. "That doesn't mean I like it."

Heero gave the younger boy a grim smile. "I know. I don't like it either but until we come up with a foolproof idea, we just have to accept this for now."

"Maybe if they stay long enough his old man's guard will drop and we can get him away before he notices."

"As convenient as that would be, I'm not sure they'll stick around long enough for that to happen. And I don't want to wait that long. Quatre doesn't deserve that."

Heero and Duo finished the living room almost at the same time that Wufei and Trowa finished the kitchen. Quatre hadn't come downstairs yet. Heero ventured upstairs and the others followed.

"Quatre? Are you okay?" Heero called, not sure which rooms would be off limits.

"Y-yeah." Quatre came out of one of the rooms. "I was just finishing up here." He was dressed in his usual long sleeved shirt and pants. The bruises were completely covered and if they didn't know any better they would have assumed that he wasn't hurt at all.

"You did the whole upstairs while we did the downstairs?" Duo was surprised and a little disappointed. He wanted to snoop upstairs and now he wouldn't get the chance.

"Well, there isn't as much to do up here and I kind of have it down to a science." He grabbed a laundry basket from the bathroom and headed downstairs. "I just have to get this started and we can go."

They followed him down the stairs. Quatre stopped at the bottom and turned around, looking at his friends. "Thank you. I…I appreciate everything." He turned and went into the laundry room. He came out a minute later and did a quick once over to make sure nothing was missed.

"See, Quat, that only took us an hour. Let's see what Rashid has in store for us today!" Duo led the way out to Trowa's car.

* * *

**A/N: For the purposes of this story, I do not have them call the police. But if any of you are in an abusive situation, PLEASE GET HELP! This is fiction, so the events contained herein are designed to work according to how I want them to. Real life doesn't work that way. And if you're the one doing the abusing, STOP IT or I'll...I'll have Duo leave a burning pile of poo on your porch! (And I'll make sure Trowa supplies elephant poo!)**

*DCFS stands for Department of Child and Family Services


	14. Chapter 13

**A/N: Thanks for the review! More angst ahead...**

**Chapter 13**

The next few days passed and Quatre's spirits seemed to lift a little. His friends made it a point to bring breakfast for him, knowing that he wouldn't have eaten any. Quatre felt a little uncomfortable with it, but they insisted and he couldn't deny being hungry. He was a growing teenage boy after all. After Duo brought him breakfast the first day, they realized how uncomfortable he was and made it a point to bring enough for the whole group so it wouldn't be so awkward for him.

But there was still something that didn't seem quite right with their friend. Duo was all for making Quatre talk, but Wufei, Trowa and Heero didn't want to run him off especially after Wednesday's emotional confrontation. Quatre was still looking a little flushed on Thursday and Friday, but he wasn't as sick as he had been, so his friends elected not to bring it up. Saturday morning Duo went over to Quatre's and knocked softly on the door. He wasn't sure that Quatre would hear him, but he'd remembered the blonde's plea not to wake his father the week before. And now that Duo understood why, he was trying extra hard not to.

He waited for a few minutes before the door opened. Quatre stepped outside, silently shutting the door behind him. "Hey, Duo. What's up?"

"Not much. You wanna go play some basketball?"

"Let me see if I can." Quatre went inside and a couple of minutes later the door opened and Duo was face to face with Tony Winner. Duo decided that Quatre must take after his mother. He looked nothing like his father. Tony had dark hair and dark eyes where Quatre had blonde hair and eyes that were more aqua than green or blue.

Duo wasn't much shorter than Quatre's father, but the man was much more muscular than the braided teen. "So, you're the one that keeps asking Quatre to play sports?"

Duo was a little surprised. Tony seemed to be cordial, but underneath there was something menacing. Duo grinned and played it up. "Yup, that's me. Duo Maxwell, co-captain of the Colony High Wings basketball team." He stuck a hand out that Tony coolly shook.

"Hm. So you know the Chang boy?"

"Um, yeah. He's on the team." Duo was confused but tried not to show it.

"Quatre tells me that you're dating a cheerleader. Is that true?"

"Yup. Hilde was just made the head cheerleader this week. She's a babe."

That got a small grin out of Tony. "Well, maybe you will be a good influence on him after all. Alright, go play basketball."

"What time would you like me home, sir?"

Tony gave Duo an appraising look. "Whenever. I'll be going out this evening. I should be back around midnight."

"Okay, thank you, sir."

"Nice meeting you, sir!" Duo gave Tony a smile and the man gave a nod of his head in return before stalking inside and shutting the door.

The two boys turned and headed down the street. Once they were around the corner Duo stopped and faced Quatre. "Why was he asking about Wufei?"

"I don't know. He told me last week to stay away from him."

Duo frowned. He could think of only one thing that Tony could have heard about Wufei that would give him a reason to tell Quatre to stay away, but he didn't think it was his place to say. "I think we should have a pool party at my place after the game."

"Huh?"

Duo grinned. "We have some more stuff to talk about and I think that lounging around my pool will be as good a place as any." He started towards the park and Quatre fell into step next to him.

Quatre had been wondering when someone would want to talk some more. But he supposed that the sooner he got it over with, the sooner they'd quit pestering him. And he had felt the burden lift considerably since his friends had found out one of his secrets. Maybe confiding in them would take more of the weight off his shoulders.

There were five of them, so they ended up playing H.O.R.S.E. Quatre got all five letters. Since Quatre was out, Duo presented the idea of going swimming and the others agreed. Trowa and Heero went to get their suits and agreed to pick up the other boys. Duo, Wufei and Quatre walked back towards Quatre's and Wufei's houses, but Duo stopped Wufei at the corner.

"Hey, 'Fei, can you do me a favor?"

"What?" Wufei looked skeptical.

"Um…well, ya see, I kind of met Tony this morning when I went to get Quatre and…well…for some reason, he doesn't want Quatre around you." Quatre looked at his shoes. He hadn't wanted to say anything to Wufei.

"And you think he might still be home and you don't want Quatre in trouble, right?"

"Um…yeah. D'you think you could wait a few minutes before you head home?"

"Sure. That's why you asked Trowa to pick us up here, isn't it?"

"Yeah."

Wufei sighed. "Quatre, did your father tell you why he wants you to stay away from me?"

"No. But I don't care what his reason is. I…I trust you." Quatre looked up at Wufei, who gave him a grateful smile.

"I appreciate that. Get going. The sooner we're at Duo's, the better."

Duo and Quatre walked quickly but casually down the street. Tony was still home, but agreed to let Quatre go to Duo's. They left out the part about going swimming, but Duo told Tony that he was going to order pizza and invite Hilde and some of her cheerleader friends over to watch some movies.

"And maybe do some other stuff," he added with a cheeky wink.

Tony couldn't quite hide the fact that he was pleased with that idea. Quatre had run upstairs and grabbed his backpack to put his swimming things in.

"Why are you taking that?" Tony asked with a frown.

"Oh, um, well, I had a question about my math homework and Duo was going to try and help me with it while we waited for the pizza."

Tony shrugged and waved the boys off. They left quickly, not wanting to have Tony change his mind at the last minute.

While they waited at the corner, Duo talked. "I'm hungry. Should we eat first or just order pizza? Hm…maybe we should take a vote. Oh, hey, 'Fei! What do you think? Should we order pizza or go to Rashid's?"

"Personally, I think I'd prefer pizza today. We've been to Rashid's quite a bit lately," Wufei answered as he walked up.

Trowa pulled up with Heero and the three boys piled into the back. As soon as they got to Duo's house, he got on the phone and ordered pizza. The boys changed. No one said anything about the bruises that had appeared since Wednesday.

Duo's swimming pool was in a room at the back of his house. The room had tinted glass walls, so it felt like they were outside, but the temperature could be regulated and there was less chance of sunburn. They swam until the pizza arrived.

"So, Quat, I know you probably don't want to say, but you mentioned that your dad divorced your stepmom. Why don't you go live with your mom?" Duo asked, eating his sixth slice of pizza.

Quatre had finished eating and was sitting next to the pool, dangling his feet in the water. "She died when I was born." He said it simply without sounding sad.

"Oh, sorry."

Quatre shrugged. "It's okay. I never knew her and it doesn't really make me sad to think about it anymore. My stepmom was really cool about stuff. She's the one that got me into music. I think…I think that's part of why she and Tony started arguing so much. He thought it was too expensive. She always said it didn't matter, they could afford it."

"So, the other day you said that Tony kept you from having friends. Was that before or after the divorce happened?"

"After. My stepmom encouraged me to get out and make friends. I always seemed to hole up in my room with my music or a book. There were days that she would threaten to lock my violin up unless I came home with a friend. She never really would have, but it made me socialize. Once the divorce was finalized and Tony and I moved, I tried to make friends because I knew she would want me to. At first it didn't seem to bother him if I had friends, but then…then James found out…about Tony." Quatre looked at the water with a frown. "He told his mom, who confronted Tony. Tony told her that I fell out of the tree in the backyard. She believed him after he explained about the divorce and told her that it was hard on me and I was trying to get attention."

Heero shook his head as he thought, 'So that was where that came from. Quatre has been conditioned to think that no one would believe him. It's going to be tough to get him to accept the help he needs.'

Quatre blinked tears from his eyes before they could fall. His back was to his friends, but he still didn't want to let them know how upset he was. "He yelled at me, told me I was nothing but trouble and he was going to teach me a lesson. He didn't hit me that night, just sent me to bed. I was naïve enough to think that he was afraid James' mom would find out and turn him in. Somehow he managed to start a couple of rumors at school."

"What were the rumors?" Trowa had come over and sat next to Quatre, putting his feet into the water as well.

Quatre didn't look at him. He watched the water ripple out from Trowa's movements. He finally broke the silence. "Part of the rumor about James was that he was sleeping around, which in itself wouldn't be considered a big deal, but the other part was a pretty horrible thing." Quatre kept watching the ripples in the pool as his memories swirled through his head.

_"That's _so_ gross! What are you, a whore?"_

_ "Hey, James, how much do you cost?"_

_ "I wanna ride!"_

_ "Hey James, I heard you like it rough. Is that true?"_

_ "How about you, Quatre? How do you like it?"_

"QUATRE!"

Quatre's head snapped up. "What?"

Trowa frowned at him. "You totally spaced out. Duo called your name four times."

"Sorry," Quatre mumbled. "I was…thinking."

"No big," Duo replied with a wave. "I was just wondering what the rumor about you was."

Quatre's cheeks burned. "Um…well…like I said we were only eleven and…" Quatre sighed. "I don't want to say it."

"Was there any way to convince them that the rumors weren't true?"

"Not really. The one about James wasn't true, but the kids at school believed it because he was friends with me and the rumor about me…was."

"Was what? True?"

Quatre nodded, focusing again on the water.

"What'd you do, murder someone? Besides why would being friends with you make them believe the rumor about him?"

"Because I'm—" Quatre covered his mouth with a hand as he realized what he'd almost admitted. You can't just admit something like that to jocks and think you can get away with it. He stood up.

"I should go," he said quietly. He started to leave but found his way blocked by Wufei.

Wufei put his hand on Quatre's shoulder. He was careful not to hurt the smaller boy, but used just enough pressure to make him stop. He looked Quatre in the eyes and asked quietly, "Quatre…is your father punishing you because you're gay?"

Quatre took a step back and bumped into someone. Quatre started panicking. They were going to trap him, beat him up and leave his body tied to a fence in the middle of nowhere!

Arms wrapped themselves around him gently from behind and a soft voice whispered, "Quatre, it's okay. Nothing will happen to you."

Tears started down Quatre's face. Another set of arms wrapped around him from the side and another voice whispered, "Everything's gonna be fine, Quat, you'll see."

Trowa placed a hand on Quatre's shoulder and his arm around Wufei. "You don't have to have secrets around us." He smirked and gave Wufei a peck on the temple.

Wufei's cheeks turned red. "Trowa!" he hissed and pushed the older boy into the pool.

Trowa came up laughing. "You know I can't resist you."

Wufei looked away from everyone, embarrassed. Duo let go of Quatre and smirked at the Chinese boy. "Hey, 'Fei, if you don't like it, I'll take him off your hands."

Wufei glared daggers at Duo. "Touch him and I'll hang you with your braid, Maxwell."

The threat only made Duo laugh. Quatre was too stunned to do anything but stand there. It wasn't possible, was it? Were they serious or only making fun of him?

Heero moved in front of Quatre and bent down so he was eye to eye with him. "Are you okay?"

"I don't know," Quatre whispered. He really didn't know. It was a complete shock to think that three of the biggest jocks in school were anything like him. Quatre had wondered how long he would last in their group if they knew what he was. He'd always thought that the more into sports you were, the more straight you were. And they were popular. If they'd been in the drama club or the glee club it would have been easier to believe, but…Tony. Tony had told him all of this. Tony had made him believe that all jocks were straight and would hurt him if they found out he wasn't. It was why he'd let Quatre hang out with Duo. Was Tony hoping that Duo would rehabilitate him or do his dirty work for him?

Quatre sank to his knees.

"Quatre?" Heero was on his knees now, watching the blonde. The other three continued their playful banter, oblivious to the two boys behind them.

Years of pent up stress and fear forced their way out as Quatre buried his face in his hands and burst into tears. He was an emotional train wreck and he realized that he didn't want to hold it back anymore. He wanted to let it go and move on. Wanted to be free of the guilt of what happened to James. Wanted…acceptance. That was all he wanted. Acceptance. But was he a fool for thinking he'd finally found it? He hoped not…the arms that wrapped themselves around him were very comforting.

He leaned into the strong arms, burying his face into the sturdy chest that they were connected to. He cried, letting out the hurt that had built since the day he'd let slip that he found a male actor attractive. The comment that had started the arguing between Tony and his stepmother.

_"If you hadn't let him start music lessons this wouldn't have happened!"_

_ "He didn't _choose_ this, Tony. It's just the way it is."_

_ "Don't you tell me this is the way it is. He's doing this to rebel and so help me I'll—"_

"That's it, let it go. Don't let it hurt you anymore. Everything's going to be just fine," Heero murmured into his hair.

Heero waited for Quatre to calm down a little before speaking again. "I take it we're the first people you've really told?"

"Not since James. And he—" Quatre choked back another sob.

"What did he do?" Heero prompted. Wufei, Duo and Trowa had finally noticed Quatre's breakdown and were sitting on the ground nearby, close enough to hear everything Quatre said.

"He killed himself."

There was silence, broken sporadically when Quatre's breath hitched.

"Oh, Quatre, that wasn't your fault."

"It was, Heero. Tony spread the rumor that James was sleeping around with older men for money and because I was stupid and told him I was attracted to men everyone believed that he was sleeping with me, too! He couldn't take it anymore and one day his mom walked into his room and he was…he was hanging from the ceiling fan. He'd tied the rope around it, slipped the other end around his neck and turned it on. And it was all because of me!" His voice gained a shrill, desperate quality to it as he talked.

Heero's arms tightened around Quatre as he grieved. He'd held it in for so long that now he couldn't hold it back. Tony had told him he didn't deserve to miss his friend because it had been his fault he died. The tears slowed and Quatre forced himself to breathe normally so he wouldn't trigger an asthma attack.

His voice was low when he continued. "And the worst part was that at the funeral Tony made me tell his mother that _I_ started the rumors because I was attracted to James and wanted his attention."

Duo flung himself around Quatre and held him tightly, his arms encircling Heero as well. They stayed there until Quatre shifted. He appreciated his friends' comfort, but they were hurting him.

"Sorry," Duo muttered as he let go. "I get a little carried away sometimes."

Quatre gave him a small smile. "It's okay. I really don't mind." He stood up and went back to the pool. He sat and put his feet in like he had before, watching the ripples that radiated from his movements.

Duo and Heero started to clean up the leftover pizza. Trowa gave Wufei a look and a half hug before kissing him on the cheek and following the other two inside. Wufei sighed. He knew what the others expected him to do. And as much as he didn't want to, he knew that Quatre needed to hear what he had to say. He needed to understand that he wasn't alone. He sat next to Quatre and put his feet in the water.

"Would you like to know why your father doesn't want you anywhere near me?"


	15. Chapter 14

**Chapter 14**

"Would you like to know why your father doesn't want you anywhere near me?"

Quatre hesitated before answering, "I'd be lying if I said I wasn't curious. But if you don't want to tell me—"

"It's because of my father." Wufei sighed. "He played poker with your father last weekend so I know that he's the one that told your father about me. When I was twelve, I told my father that I thought I was gay, but I wasn't sure. I confided in him because he had always told me that I could go to him with anything and he would help me. Apparently this wasn't something he ever planned on me going to him with. He was livid. He didn't even try to understand that I was confused and was requesting his guidance. He confined me to my room and after a few days he came to get me. He told me that he had come up with a solution to my problem. I thought he had found someone that I could talk to that could help me sort out my feelings. Instead…he…"

Wufei shut his eyes and took several deep breaths. Quatre watched as Wufei paled and swallowed. Wufei kept his eyes shut as he continued. "He paid some men to rape me. The whole time he kept asking if I _liked_ what they were doing. Every time they changed who was attacking me or they changed position, he would ask again. I begged him to make them stop but he didn't. He told me that this was all that I had to look forward to if I was gay because that was 'how they treated each other.' When they finally finished, my father asked again if I liked it and I told him no. He patted my head and told me that he knew I wasn't gay."

Quatre wrapped an arm around Wufei's shoulders. "I'm sorry. Didn't your mother do anything?"

"She doesn't know. He took me to a cabin in the woods for a 'father-son weekend' and told me that if I ever told her what happened, he would bring the men back. My father most likely told your father to keep you away from me because he's afraid that I'll change my mind. I'm a recovering gay in his mind." Wufei spat out that last sentence bitterly. "That's why I'm so careful about public displays of affection from Trowa. He's really been most understanding about the whole situation, but I think it frustrates him sometimes."

Quatre put his forehead on Wufei's bicep and the two just sat there for a few minutes. Trowa, Duo and Heero joined them and the five sat in silence.

Trowa broke it. "Has your father tried to 'cure' you yet, Quatre?"

Quatre stared at the ripples. "Yes." The reply was nearly inaudible.

"How?"

Quatre sat up and shifted uncomfortably. How could he tell them what Tony had given him for his twelfth birthday? What would they think?'

Duo watched Quatre and realized that he was having a serious inner battle. He realized that they'd gotten Quatre to talk about himself and other than Wufei's story they hadn't offered him anything about themselves. It seemed a little one-sided and he could understand why Quatre was having a hard time telling them. He was about to say something when Quatre spoke.

"For my twelfth birthday, Tony paid a girl to…sleep with me. Sh-she was sixteen, I think and I didn't want to, so I told him that I didn't know how. So…he…he showed me. He made me watch him use her. She didn't want him to, but he told her she was getting paid and to shut up. Then when he was done, he made me…" Quatre swallowed against the bile that was rising in his throat. "I…I didn't like it. I didn't want to do it and I couldn't…finish. I could tell that Tony wouldn't accept that, so I made myself think about someone else and…I accidentally said his name out loud. Tony was furious. He beat me so hard that I blacked out." Quatre was focused on the ripples as he talked. "He's paid women to use me every six months since in the hopes that I'll be cured."

"When was the last time that happened?" Heero asked quietly.

Quatre mumbled the answer.

"What?" Duo asked looking sharply at Quatre, unsure he'd heard correctly.

"Last Sunday."

"So that's what you were really upset about on Monday, wasn't it?"

Quatre nodded.

"What would happen if you just didn't go home today?" Duo's mind had been running through possible exit strategies for Quatre since he'd talked to Tony that morning.

"He would hunt me down. And I might not survive it this time."

Duo frowned. "What else have you tried, Quatre?"

When Quatre balked, Heero said, "We just want to help you, Quatre, but we don't want to make it worse. Would pretending to be straight like Wufei does make him stop?"

"I don't know. I don't think I could pull it off. You guys guessed pretty quick."

"Well…I wasn't positive that you were gay. I half expected you to be angry with me for even suggesting such a thing," Wufei admitted.

"Y'know, I bet we could get Tony to believe it. When I talked to him this morning he asked if I was really on the basketball team and dating a cheerleader. So of course I told him I was dating Hilde and that she was the head cheerleader."

"Does_ she_ know you're dating yet or that she's the head cheerleader now?" Wufei teased, trying to lighten the dark mood that had settled over the pool.

"I think…I think Tony was hoping you would all beat me up."

"Why?" Trowa was frowning.

"So that he could start hitting me where my clothes don't cover and then blame it on bullies at school. He likes to see his work, but he has to make me wear long sleeves and pants so that he doesn't get in trouble."

"Jeez, Quat, why do you put up with this?" Duo was frustrated. He couldn't imagine putting up with that kind of treatment. But then, he supposed that he had it easy. His parents had taken his sexual preferences in stride, asking only that he not be promiscuous and to be careful.

"He wasn't always like this, Duo. He…he used to be really great." Quatre spoke quietly as he watched the ripples in the pool. "My mom died giving birth to me and my grandmother told me once before she died that I was his reason for living after he lost her. When he remarried, he asked me if it was okay. If I had told him no, he wouldn't have married her. It was totally my decision. He'd work all week but every Saturday and Sunday without fail, we would spend the day together. We would go to the park and play baseball, we'd go swimming, or he'd take me to the zoo or a museum or the movies. He only changed because of me. Because I'm such a disappointment to him. Even if I leave, he'll come after me. He'll file a runaway report and make missing child posters and someone will bring me in, thinking that they're helping me. And if anyone stands in his way, he'll hurt them, like he did to James." Quatre shut his eyes and a single tear escaped down his cheek.

"Don't worry about us, Quat. He can't hurt us if we stick together."

"He'll find a way, Duo. He always does."

"Not this time. My parents know I'm bi, Tro's parents know he's dating 'Fei, 'Ro's parents are cool and 'Fei's got his dad convinced he's 'cured'. People at school already know about us, or they've at least already heard rumors, so that wouldn't come as a surprise to anyone. What else could your dad get against us?"

"He'll start rumors you're cheating on your boyfriends, he'll convince your teachers you're cheating in class and get you expelled, he'll hire people to make examples of you or he'll just pack us up and move in the middle of the night with no warning and send you letters from me saying that I always hated you and you should kill yourselves."

"We wouldn't believe him," Heero assured Quatre. "Especially since you've warned us that it might happen."

"Is there anything else he's done that we should watch for? We can't protect ourselves against him if we don't know what might happen next."

"I'm not sure, Trowa. Nothing's coming to mind right now but if I think of anything else or if I overhear him planning anything, I'll let you know."

"So there's something else that's confusing me, Quat. Why on Earth did you tell Tony that _I _was going to help _you _with math?"

"Because he doesn't know that I skipped grades." Quatre's eyes had a hopeful glint in them, even as he nervously bit his lower lip.

"How can he not know?" Wufei demanded.

"Because the Saturday before school started he had to go to an orientation at work and I had to register for school by myself. When I went down to the district offices, I told them that I wasn't sure where I was at because the last couple of schools I'd been in had a different curriculum so they tested me. I ended up testing out of the freshman and sophomore levels. He has no idea that I'm set to graduate two years before he's expecting me to. And I don't plan on letting him know, either."

"What about when you get your grades?"

"He won't know that the classes I'm taking aren't for freshmen. All I have to do is tell him that the curriculum here has a reputation for being more intense than other places."

"What about when they send out the graduation announcements?"

"I get the mail. All I have to do is intercept it. My plan is to apply for scholarships and just disappear after graduation. Even being underage I can live on my own if I'm a college student in the dorms. And if I don't get enough scholarship money to cover everything I'll be old enough to get a job to cover any other expenses."

"How long have you been planning this, Quatre?" Wufei was intrigued and wondered if he could pull off the same stunt. Graduating a year early and with Trowa would be wonderful. Anything to get out from under his father's roof.

"Well, in all honesty, it was kind of spontaneous. While I was on the bus to the district offices I realized that it was a possibility, even if it was a long shot. I figured I might skip one grade, but two was a godsend. If I can keep my head down and get Tony to stay here until I graduate he'll never find out. But if we move and I have to transfer schools he might find out and…I don't think he'll be happy about it."

Quatre suppressed a shudder. He hadn't really considered the consequences of Tony finding out before. It wasn't going to be pretty.

"Well then I guess we're just going to have to hope he doesn't find out." Duo gave Quatre a reassuring smile. "Just let us know if we can help, 'K?"

Quatre smiled back. "Okay."

"DUO? ARE YOU HOME, HON?"

"YEAH, MOM! THE GUYS AND I ARE SWIMMING."

Quatre slipped into the water and hugged the edge of the pool as a woman with long dark hair and green eyes came to the door of the pool room. "I just came home to grab a few things. I'm meeting your father for dinner and we'll be back later. Do you need anything?"

"Nope, we're good. Thanks, though."

"Alright. You know how to reach us if you need anything. Love you sweetie."

"Mo-om! Not in front of the guys!" Duo whined. Trowa and Wufei were trying really hard not to laugh at Duo's indignant expression.

Mrs. Maxwell grinned. "It's in my job description to embarrass you. Have fun boys." She turned with a wave and left.

Trowa and Wufei burst out laughing.

"Shut up," Duo grumbled.

"It's okay, sweetie. We only laugh because we looove you," Trowa teased.

"Bite me." Duo pushed Trowa into the pool with a smirk.

"You wish, Maxwell," Wufei retorted and pushed in the braided boy.

Duo surfaced and latched onto Trowa, who was unsuccessful in shaking him off. "Got your boy-toy, 'Fei. Whatcha gonna do about it?"

"I thought I told you not to touch him."

Duo stuck his tongue out. "Can't stop me from there, can you?"

Wufei dove into the water and pulled Duo under by his feet. Quatre stayed at the edge of the pool so he wouldn't get caught up in their horseplay. Heero was still sitting with his feet in the water. He chuckled.

"Duo's lucky that Wufei knows he's only playing. If he thought for a second that Duo was serious about Trowa, things would get ugly. With as much effort as it takes to hide their relationship, Wufei is very territorial when it comes to Trowa. Even if he wasn't, Trowa is very loyal to Wufei. He would never do anything to hurt Wufei or break his trust. They're good for each other. Duo keeps all of us from taking life too seriously. He's got such a passion for life that you can't help but be pulled in by him. Sometimes it seems like nothing ever fazes him."

Quatre watched the three. They took turns dunking each other. Duo ended up being dunked more often because Trowa and Wufei ganged up on him.

"Quatre?"

Quatre looked up at Heero. "Yes?"

"I wanted to tell you that we appreciate that you've trusted us. I know it can't have been easy for you and I promise that we will do everything we can to keep your trust."

"Th-thank you, Heero. I have to admit that it feels really good to have it out in the open and to know that I don't have to hide from you guys. Thank you for listening and…being my friend."

Heero smiled down at the blonde. "You're welcome." He looked at the other three. Quatre turned to see them still horsing around. "Stay there so I don't land on you."

Quatre stayed put and watched as Heero executed a perfect cannonball, splashing everyone.

"OH. IT. IS. ON!" Duo and the others got into a splashing war as Quatre watched from the sidelines. He could have joined in if he chose, but he was content to watch his friends. He felt at peace for the first time in a long time. Maybe with his friends to help, he would be able to keep Tony at bay long enough to graduate and escape.


	16. Chapter 15

**A/N: I lost internet access this week so I'm updating just a bit earlier than normal while I can get it. I guess McDonald's is good for something.**

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**Chapter 15**

"Why is Tony's car still there?"

Trowa was about to drop Wufei and Quatre off at home. "What do you mean?"

"He told me earlier that he was going out and wouldn't be back until midnight. It's only nine. He...he shouldn't be home."

Wufei caught the fear in Quatre's eyes and shot a look at Trowa. "Drive around the block and drop me at the corner. I'll walk the rest of the way so Quatre doesn't get in trouble for being seen with me."

Trowa nodded and did as Wufei asked. While Wufei was getting out of the car, Trowa said, "Quatre, I'm going to drop you off at your house. When you get inside, go upstairs and turn a light on and off three times if everything's okay. If the light doesn't flash in two minutes, I'll knock on the door."

Quatre nodded. He was trying not to freak out. It was entirely possible that Tony was lying in wait for him. He never knew what Tony would do next and it stressed him out. At least Trowa was willing to wait until he knew that Quatre was safe before leaving him there alone.

Quatre opened his front door slowly, expecting Tony to pull him inside and start whaling on him. The house was dark. He turned on the lights in the kitchen and living room, afraid that Tony was waiting in the dark for him. Quatre slipped upstairs and checked each room before flashing a light in his bedroom. He looked out his window and saw Trowa watching. Trowa nodded to him before driving off. Quatre breathed a sigh of relief and got to work getting the house clean before Tony got home.

Wufei watched as Trowa passed him and stopped in front of Quatre's house. He sauntered down the street with his hands in his pockets, acting as nonchalant as possible while watching Quatre hesitate on his porch. As he turned to walk to his house, he saw Trowa nod to an upper window and drive off. Apparently everything was okay if Trowa was leaving.

Wufei opened the door and started up the stairs to his room.

"Where have you been, son?"

Wufei closed his eyes and exhaled, counting to ten before turning and going into the den where his father was playing poker with four other men, three of whom Wufei recognized.

"I was studying for the SATs."

"At the Barton kid's house?"

"Yes, sir."

"Were you alone?"

Wufei seethed inwardly at the insinuation in his father's question. "No, sir. We have a study group of six. His sister was there as well. She has been most helpful as we study, having taken the test already."

"What about his parents?"

"They were out."

Wufei kept his expression as neutral as he could, not wanting to give anything away.

His father apparently approved of his explanation as he nodded. "Before you go son, I'd like you to meet Tony Winner, our new neighbor. Tony, this is my son Wufei."

The man Wufei didn't know stood and held out a hand. Wufei accepted it, casually sizing up the large man. It was no wonder Quatre looked the way he did with this man using him as a punching bag. "It's nice to meet you, sir," he lied.

Tony nodded with a casual smile. "You, too, Wufei. Your father's told me quite a bit about you."

Wufei wasn't sure how to respond, so he nodded once. Tony released his hand and sat back at the poker table. "If you gentlemen will excuse me, I have some studying to attend to." He turned and escaped to his room. He had to resist the urge to punch a hole in the wall. His room was right above the den and they would hear him if he made too much noise. That bastard. How could he treat his son the way that he did and then sit around like there was nothing wrong?

He shot a text off to Trowa, telling him where Tony Winner was and his assessment of him. Trowa replied with: _Will discuss this tomorrow. See if you can eavesdrop. Let me know if he says anything about Q._

Wufei huffed. He really wanted to go downstairs and deck the older man. But he didn't know what would happen if he did. His father would be upset to say the least but there was no telling what would happen to Quatre if Tony went home in a foul mood. So instead he opened the vent on his floor and laid down next to it, listening to the conversation of the men playing poker.

_"You're sure he used to be…you know?"_ Wufei was sure that was Tony.

_"He said he thought he was three years ago, but I put a stop to it pretty quick."_ His father. _"You still having problems with your kid?"_

_"He's coming around. There's a jock at school, dating a cheerleader, that I let him hang out with. Other than that, he's not allowed out of the house. And I give him extra beatings when I feel like it just to uh...pound the point home, if you get my meaning."_

There was rough laughter from all the men.

_"Well, if you think that's enough. You let me know if you want to try my method. It worked the first time."_

_"Oh yeah? What'd you try?"_

Wufei wanted to throw up as his father described his 'treatment' in detail, right down to making the attackers use condoms just so he wouldn't have to pay for Wufei to be tested for anything later. That made Wufei angry. At the time it had happened, he thought his father did it because he cared. Apparently not. He didn't want Quatre to have to go through that. He held his breath so as not to miss a single word of Tony's response.

_"Hmmm…interesting method. But what if it had backfired?"_

_"I would've found bigger and meaner and done it again."_ Wufei couldn't believe his father had planned to do it again. It made him sick.

_"Well, the boy seems to be responding well at the moment. But supposing I decide to use your method, do you have any recommendations for who to get?"_

_"Oh sure. I'll get you the information before you leave tonight."_

The conversation drifted into other subjects and Wufei felt it was okay to quit listening. He needed to see Trowa and he couldn't wait until tomorrow. He shot off a text to let Trowa know he was on his way over and slipped out his window.

Trowa was waiting for him on the stairs that led to his porch. He stood to greet Wufei and was nearly bowled over as the Chinese boy threw himself into Trowa's arms and clung tightly, trembling. Trowa embraced his boyfriend and tried to calm him down. He didn't know what upset Wufei, but he'd never seen him this close to tears before.

"What happened?"

Wufei didn't answer, he just nuzzled his face into Trowa's neck and tightened his grip. "Need you," he whispered.

Trowa kissed the top of Wufei's head and led him around to the pool house. His parents had let him move into the small apartment when he'd turned sixteen. Once inside, Wufei pulled Trowa to the couch and desperately claimed his mouth.

Only after Trowa wrapped Wufei in his arms and held him tightly did his boyfriend calm down enough to tell him what he'd heard. The well-muscled arms around him kept Wufei from freaking out again as he told Trowa that his father planned to repeat the 'treatment' if he ever found out that Wufei wasn't 'cured.'

Trowa put his forehead to Wufei's and looked him in the eye. "If you think he's about to do that again promise me that you'll come here. I'll keep you safe."

Wufei smiled and kissed the tip of Trowa's nose. "Promise."

After snuggling for a little bit Wufei told Trowa that Tony had asked his father for information in case he decided to try something similar. "We can't let that happen, Trowa. Nobody should ever have that happen."

"Did he mention when he might try it?"

"No. He just said that letting Quatre hang out with Duo seemed to be working."

"We'll talk to the others tomorrow. Maybe they have some ideas to keep Tony thinking that Quatre's been 'cured.'"

Wufei kissed Trowa. "I should get home before he notices I'm gone."

"Will you be okay?" Trowa asked as he stood and pulled Wufei to his feet.

"Yeah."

"D'you want me to drive you back?"

"No. I'm less likely to be seen if I walk back."

Trowa nodded. "I'll walk with you. You just tell me when you want me to leave, okay?"

Wufei kissed him again. "You're the best boyfriend ever."

The lovers slipped through the shadows and Trowa left only at Wufei's insistence that they were too close to his house and they might be seen. Wufei shimmied up the lattice outside his window and made it inside. Taking note of how late it was, Wufei listened at his vent and realized that the poker game was still in progress. Since the conversation wasn't anything to be concerned about, he decided to take a shower and go to bed.


	17. Chapter 16

**A/N: Thanks for the review, Anime Gal22. I'm glad you like it. And thanks to everyone who has followed/favorited or is reading. I really appreciate it!**

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**Chapter 16**

Sunday afternoon found Duo and Heero outside of Quatre's house. Duo knocked lightly on the door.

Tony opened it. "Yeah?"

"Hello again, sir!" Duo greeted the man, hiding his surprise. "I was wondering if Quatre could hang out today."

"No. Quatre's busy. Good day." Tony shut the door rudely in their faces.

The two boys walked back to Duo's house, extremely concerned for their friend. Duo told Heero that Tony wasn't that rude before.

"What do you think he's up to?" Duo asked.

"I don't know, but whatever it is, it can't be good for Quatre."

"I wish we knew whether or not Tony was working tonight. If he is we can see Quat, but if not, we'll have to wait until tomorrow and if Tony's not feedin' him, he could starve to death."

"Don't be dramatic, Duo. He ate at your house yesterday. But I understand your point. Maybe we can have Wufei stake out Quatre's and he can call us if Tony leaves at all."

"Maybe. Man, this bites. We gotta come up with a way to get Quat out of there."

They called Trowa and Wufei over to discuss the problem and Wufei let them know what he'd heard the night before.

"Shit. You don't think he's plannin' on doing that today, do you?"

"I hope not, Duo," Wufei said quietly. "Based on what he said last night, I don't think he's resorting to that just yet. And I'm not sure that he would do something like that in broad daylight in the middle of the neighborhood. If Quatre screamed at all, someone would report it to the police. We'll have to warn Quatre as soon as we can so he can be on his guard."

They all nodded their agreement and silence reigned as they ruminated over the issue.

* * *

Quatre wasn't waiting for a ride to school Monday morning. Tony was still home, so they didn't dare knock and find out why. He didn't show up at school at any point during the day, either.

Immediately after school, Heero and Duo went to his house. Trowa and Wufei were waiting at the corner so they could take Quatre somewhere and talk. They'd convinced Coach O that they had all gotten a case of food poisoning from eating at the same restaurant on Sunday so they wouldn't get into trouble for ditching the first basketball practice of the season.

Noting that Tony's car wasn't in the driveway, Duo knocked loudly. Quatre didn't answer. Heero tried the door and found it locked. Duo looked for another way in.

"Maybe the back door's open," he suggested.

The two boys made their way around the back of the house and stopped short. The backyard had a large black walnut tree. And clinging to the lowest branch, twelve feet off the ground, was Quatre. He was on his stomach with his arms and legs wrapped as tightly as he could manage around the branch. There was a ladder on the ground next to the tree.

"Duo, hold the ladder steady. I'll get him down."

"Right, 'Ro."

The two boys hurried to the tree and quickly set the ladder up. Heero started up the ladder. "Quatre, are you okay?"

"N-no." Quatre had his eyes screwed shut and was hanging on for dear life. If Heero had to guess, he would say that Quatre was somewhere between bed wetting and a near death experience on the fear scale.

"It's okay. Duo and me are gonna get you down."

"I-I h-have t-to f-finish."

Heero reached Quatre but couldn't coax him down. He frowned. "Okay, Quatre. What needs to be done on the tree?"

"Th-the b-branches m-marked w-with o-orange n-need t-to b-be c-cut o-off." Quatre was almost to the point of hyperventilating.

"Quatre, I want you to listen to me. You need to calm down. I'm going to get you out of this tree."

"N-no. I-if h-he c-comes h-home a-and i-it's n-not d-done…" Quatre started to sob. Tony had threatened to beat him within an inch of his life if the tree wasn't trimmed before he came home. Quatre had no reason to think he wouldn't go through with the threat.

"Okay, okay. Just calm down. Do you have your inhaler?" Heero was concerned that Quatre was going to have an attack and fall out of the tree.

"Y-yes, b-but I-I c-can't g-get i-it." Tears were starting to fall down the blonde's cheeks and he was trembling, although whether from fear or the effort of hanging onto the tree, Heero wasn't sure.

Heero forced himself to keep calm. Getting angry at Tony wouldn't help Quatre right now. "Quatre, I'm going to finish up the tree and then I'll help you down, okay? You just hang tight. Duo's down there holding the ladder. He'll catch you if you fall, okay?"

Quatre nodded, too scared to do anything else. Heero grabbed the pruning shears and shimmied up the tree. The only branches marked in orange were up at the top. Heero's seething anger at Tony leant speed and strength to his work. There was no way that Tony didn't know Quatre was afraid of heights. The bastard just wanted to see his son suffer.

Heero could hear Duo trying to get the blonde out of the tree.

"Come on, Quat, I'll hold the ladder so you won't fall."

"I-I c-can't." He was frozen in place. Heero could tell that Quatre wouldn't be able to get out of the tree even if it was on fire.

Heero focused on his task. If there had been cuttings around the tree before he and Duo got there, Heero would have assumed that Quatre did the lower branches. But there weren't. He wondered if Quatre would be in more trouble for not doing the work or if Tony realized that someone had done it for him. It was painfully obvious that Quatre had made it to the low branch that he was clinging to and could go no farther due to his phobia. The ladder barely reached the twelve foot height. Heero wondered if Quatre had made it that far on his own or if Tony had pushed him up the ladder.

Heero finished and Duo had still not convinced Quatre to come down. He lowered himself to Quatre's branch.

"Quatre, did I miss any?" When Quatre didn't respond, he looked down at Duo. "Hey, did I get all the branches marked in orange?"

"Yeah."

"Come on, Quatre. Let's get out of the tree."

"I-I c-can't," Quatre said quietly, eyes clenched shut.

"I won't let you fall."

"Th-that's n-not w-why."

Heero frowned. "Tell me."

"I…I" Quatre took a few deep breaths. "W-when T-Tony p-pulled th-the l-ladder o-out f-from u-under m-me, I-I w-was s-so s-scared th-that I…I…" Quatre's face went pink.

Heero guessed why. "Oh, well…don't worry about that. Just come down and you can take care of it."

Quatre shook his head. He didn't want to be teased about wetting himself and he was sure that Duo would find any number of remarks to make about it.

"Quatre, I'm going to go down the ladder and I want you to follow me. I'll send Duo off so he doesn't know, okay?"

Quatre nodded but didn't loosen his death grip on the tree.

"Duo, hold the ladder steady." Heero started down the ladder. He went two rungs before Quatre shifted his feet to find the ladder. Heero guided the smaller boy's feet until they were on the top rung. Heero went down slowly, making sure that Quatre didn't slip. As he neared the bottom he said, "Duo, I've got this. Do me a favor and go out front. Make sure Tony didn't come home yet."

"Why?"

"Because." Heero's tone left no room for argument and Duo ran around the side of the house. As soon as Quatre's feet touched the grass Heero said, "Go inside and do what you need to. Duo and I will come in as soon as these branches are picked up."

"But—"

"No buts. You need to take it easy for a few minutes so you don't have an attack. We've got this. Get going before Duo comes back."

Quatre took a step and then stopped. "Th-thank you, Heero." He ran inside.

Heero started cleaning up the tree branches. Duo came back.

"He's not home. What the hell was that about anyway? What'd he say to you up there?"

"Tony pulled the ladder from the tree while Quatre was still using it," Heero growled out through clenched teeth.

"That bastard!"

"Yeah, well if Quatre wasn't afraid of heights before he is now."

"Why'd you have me check to see if he came home?"

"I figured he'd come home to have a laugh at Quatre being stuck in the tree with no way down but to jump, which would probably break his leg."

Duo frowned as he and Heero finished cleaning up the backyard. Heero insisted that they check the flowerbeds for weeds as well. Duo grumbled, but did it anyway. Heero didn't want to give Tony any reason to beat Quatre after what he'd been through already. He also wanted to give Quatre as much time as possible to get himself cleaned up and calmed down. Even though Heero knew that Duo wouldn't say anything, Quatre was obviously unhappy with the idea of him knowing and Heero _had_ promised not to do anything to break the blonde's trust.

Duo drew the line at mowing the lawn, though. Heero had to admit that it would seem like too much for Quatre to have gotten done on his own and didn't want to arouse Tony's suspicions. They went inside and Duo started organizing the living room as he'd done the last time. Heero went upstairs to check on Quatre.

"Quatre? Are you up here?"

A door opened and Quatre peeked out.

"Are you okay?"

"Y-yes."

"When is Tony supposed to be home?"

"He should be home around midnight."

"Okay. What other chores did he give you today?"

"J-just the usual. H-he knew I wouldn't be able to finish the tree." Quatre bit back a sob.

Heero moved to the blonde and wrapped him in his arms. "Shhhh…everything's okay. We got the branches taken care of and Duo's downstairs cleaning right now."

"You don't have to—"

Heero cut off Quatre's protests. "We _want_ to. We've told you before that we want to help you. You just have to let us."

Part of Quatre wanted to push Heero away. He didn't deserve to have friends. Tony had told him so on a number of occasions. But the other part of Quatre wanted to snuggle into Heero's chest and never let go. Quatre couldn't deny an attraction to the Japanese teen. But he wasn't 100% sure that Heero felt _that_ way about him. Duo hadn't said that Heero was gay, just that his parents were cool and Quatre didn't want to overstep his bounds. Heero was proving to be one of the best friends Quatre had ever had.

Quatre forced himself to step back, out of Heero's embrace. "I should finish cleaning up here."

Heero nodded. "What needs to be done?"

"Um…well, Tony doesn't like people up here. And it's…well…Tony's a pig and up here is worse than downstairs."

Heero could tell that Quatre was really uncomfortable letting him help clean upstairs. "Well, other than cleaning up here and downstairs, what else do you need to get done?"

"That's it. Like I told you, Tony didn't expect me to get the tree finished."

"How long would he have left you up there for?"

Quatre looked down. "I don't know."

"When did he put you up there?"

Quatre mumbled something incoherent.

"Quatre?" Heero frowned.

"Yesterday morning."

Heero let off a string of obscenities worthy of Duo. Quatre's eyes widened and he took a step backward as he realized how angry Heero was.

"Yo, 'Ro, what's got your boxers in a bunch?" Duo had finished downstairs and had come to the top of the stairs in time for Heero's tirade.

"You know how we came by yesterday and Tony said Quatre was busy?"

"Yeah."

"He was already in the tree. That bastard left him up there all night."

Duo's eyes narrowed. "Quatre, I think you should stay with me for a while." He was uncharacteristically serious.

"I-I can't Duo. It isn't worth it."

"What could he possibly do to you that he hasn't already done?" Duo was yelling now.

Quatre shrank away from the yelling teen and retreated to his room.

"Nice going, Duo. Look, I'm going to try and get him to come out. Why don't you start cleaning up here?"

"Fine," Duo spat out and picked a room to start in.

Heero tried Quatre's door and found it wasn't locked. "Quatre?" He stuck his head inside the room. The only furniture was a bed and a dresser. There were no books, models, CDs, or anything else Heero expected to see in a teenager's room. Heero went all the way inside and shut the door behind him, noting that the door didn't have a lock. He listened for a second, not seeing Quatre in the sparsely decorated room.

Frowning, Heero checked under the bed, which was spotless. The only other place the boy could be was in the closet. Heero knocked on the closet door.

"Quatre, come out, please."

"No," came the muffled response.

"Quatre, it's just me. I just want to talk."

"You're mad."

Heero blew the air out of his lungs. "Yes, I'm mad, but not at you. I'm mad that your father treats you this way. He shouldn't be allowed to get away with it and I'm frustrated because I don't know how to stop him."

The closet door cracked open, but Quatre didn't come out. Heero took it as an invitation and joined the blonde in the mostly empty closet. There was just enough room for the two of them to sit on the floor.

They sat in silence, neither knowing what to say or where to start.

Finally, Heero spoke. "Quatre…I know that you have your reasons for staying loyal to your father. But…but this isn't a good environment for you to be in. Would you at least consider coming to stay with one of us for a while?"

"I can't, Heero. I tried that once. Tony called the police and said I'd been kidnapped. The police waited for me at school and took me away. They questioned me about the kidnapping but they didn't believe me. They took me home to Tony. We were gone before school let out that day. I know that Tony called the police before we left and said I'd been sexually assaulted and I think my friend's dad was forced to register as a sex offender."

Heero shook his head. Tony certainly had a full pack up his sleeve. "There has to be a way, Quatre. We just need to find it."

"Don't you think I've tried?" Quatre looked completely defeated. He was exhausted from clinging to a tree branch for more than twenty-four hours and hadn't had anything to eat in two days. The only thing that had kept him from falling out of the tree was his fear-fueled adrenaline. He was too tired to put up a front today.

Heero pulled the smaller boy into his lap and rubbed his back. "I know you have. But maybe with all five of us working on the problem, we can come up with something. Please let us try."

Quatre was sure it was because he was exhausted that his inhibitions were lowered. He pressed his lips to Heero's. Heero was surprised initially, but quickly recovered and found himself returning the chaste kiss.

Quatre broke it. "Okay, Heero. We'll try." He tucked his head under Heero's chin and fell asleep. Heero stayed put, marveling at how perfectly Quatre seemed to fit in his arms. It wouldn't hurt to let the boy sleep for a little while before taking him to get something to eat.


	18. Chapter 17

**A/N: This was originally two separate chapters...until I realized how short they were going to be. Thanks so much to everyone who is reading! Enjoy!**

* * *

**Chapter 17**

Meanwhile, Duo was…well, Duo was snooping. He had started in the gym, and finding nothing to really do, had moved quickly to Tony's bedroom. He made the bed, hoping that he wasn't expected to change the sheets and took the opportunity to look under the bed. The only monsters he found were a rifle and a brick of ammunition. He frowned. An armed angry Tony was not a pleasant thought.

The bathroom wasn't too bad, considering that Quatre probably cleaned it thoroughly every day. Duo did a quick job and moved to the main bathroom, which looked like someone had recently showered. It made sense if Quatre had been in the tree all night that he would want a shower. Duo straightened the room quickly and moved to the next door, which turned out to be an office.

He nearly gagged at the mess in there. SOOOOO GROSS! Maybe he should leave that for Quatre to clean up. But thinking about how upset the blonde had been Duo decided that he could suck it up this once…but Heero SO owed him.

Duo dashed downstairs to the cleaners that he'd found under the sink and was relieved to find a box of disposable latex gloves, a pair of which he quickly donned. Grabbing a couple of bottles of disinfectant he tackled the office. Once it was as clean as he figured he could make it, he threw the soiled gloves away and, after putting the bottles of cleaner back under the sink, washed his hands under the hottest water he could stand for as long as he could stand it. Glancing at the clock, he realized that it was already after six. They'd left Trowa and Wufei waiting for almost three hours. He shook his head as the thought hit him that they probably weren't bored.

But why hadn't Heero and Quatre come downstairs yet? Duo went back up and knocked on Quatre's door.

"Come on in, Duo," Heero's voice answered. Duo frowned. Why was it muffled like that?"

He grinned as he discovered the answer. "Finally gonna come out of the closet, 'Ro?" he teased.

"Shut up, Duo," Heero said quietly, shaking his head. Quatre was still asleep, but he shifted and a small whimper escaped his lips.

Duo knelt down so he could talk to Heero face to face. "So…uh, is he okay?"

"Not really. He said the last time he tried to hide at a friend's house Tony called the cops and said he'd been kidnapped and then when they took him home, Tony told the cops that he'd been…assaulted and his friend's dad had to register as an offender."

"Damn. So what else can we do?"

"I don't know, but I got him to agree to let us try to find him an out."

"Yeah, maybe Tro' and 'Fei will have an idea."

Heero's eyes widened as he realized that they'd stood up their friends. "Crap. What time is it?"

"Almost seven."

Heero gently shook Quatre. "Quatre, wake up."

Quatre muttered something but didn't wake.

"Come on, Quatre, wake up and we'll go get something to eat."

When he still didn't wake, Duo tried.

"Wakey wakey, Sleeping Beauty. I need you to see if I cleaned your house good enough." Duo frowned when that didn't work. "Hmm….Tony's home!"

Quatre jerked awake in a panic.

"Duo, you ass!" Heero yelled as Quatre clung tightly to him. "Calm down, Quatre, everything's okay," he soothed.

"Hey, it worked didn't it?"

Quatre rubbed his face into Heero's shoulder. He was getting a headache. "Duo, I think I hate you right now." Unfortunately, he said it with as much venom as a sleepy kitten which only resulted in making Duo laugh.

"Aww…I'm sorry, okay? But I'm hungry and I'd be willing to bet you are, too."

"Still hate you," Quatre said petulantly, though his stomach was rather empty. Duo offered him a hand and helped him stand up.

"Well, maybe you'll forgive me. Why don't you check to make sure your chores are done right and then we'll get Tro' and 'Fei and head to Rashid's or something."

"Okay," Quatre agreed, stifling a yawn. He was too tired to argue with the ball of energy that was Duo Maxwell.

Heero and Duo followed Quatre through the house as he checked to make sure everything was as it needed to be when Tony got home that night. Everything looked to be in order, so the three teens walked up to the corner only to find Trowa and Wufei making out in the back seat of Trowa's car. Trowa had put the top up to give them some privacy from prying eyes.

Duo knocked on the window. "If you think I'm sittin' back there after you two are done, you're sadly mistaken."

The two boys broke apart and Trowa smirked at the braided one. "Okay, you can walk then." He reclaimed Wufei's mouth until Heero opened the door.

"All right, you two, break it up. Let's go to my house and order some take out. I don't think Quatre's up for Rashid's tonight. Besides, we have some things to discuss, remember?"

Trowa and Wufei split apart and looked at Quatre. The blonde had dark circles under his eyes and was leaning against Heero. It was obvious he was exhausted.

* * *

Once they were sitting around Heero's dining room table sharing Chinese take-out, Wufei asked what took them so long. He and Trowa frowned as Duo explained why Quatre had missed school that day.

"Wufei, maybe you should tell Quatre what you overheard at the poker game Saturday night," Trowa prompted.

"Quatre, my dad told Tony…about me…what he did to…fix me." Wufei swallowed, not wanting to say what he knew needed to be said. "Tony seemed interested. So, I guess what I'm trying to say is that you need to be careful and stay on your guard. He didn't say that he was planning on doing anything soon, but he did get information from my dad just in case he wanted to try it."

Quatre nodded. He was too tired to talk anymore tonight. Heero noticed.

"Let's get you home, Quatre, before you fall asleep in the lo mein."

Trowa drove them back to Quatre's, stopping at the corner to give his boyfriend a goodnight kiss and let him out so he could walk the half block home. Once outside of Quatre's house, Heero helped Quatre inside and up to his room.

"Thank you, 'Ro," Quatre mumbled as Heero put him to bed.

Heero smiled at the drowsy blonde and placed a kiss on his forehead. "You're welcome, Quatre. Sweet dreams," he whispered, fully expecting to have his own that night.

* * *

The next morning, the boys were relieved to find Quatre waiting at the corner. He still looked tired and he fell asleep on the way to school. Once Trowa parked the car, Duo shook him gently, only to be rewarded with a small cry of pain.

"Sorry," Duo said quickly as Heero jumped out of the car and moved the front seat forward so he could climb in the back. Duo felt awful. He'd tried to be careful, he really had.

"Quatre?" Heero started quietly, not wanting to scare the younger boy. Quatre was curled up in the seat trembling. "Quatre, Duo didn't mean to hurt you."

"I-I know," Quatre said quietly. "H-he just s-startled me, is all."

Heero looked at the other three boys. "Look, why don't you guys go on in. Quatre and I will come in when he's ready, okay?"

The other boys agreed and got out of the car, leaving Heero and Quatre alone. Heero silently blessed the rainy weather because it meant that Trowa left the top up on his car and they had a little privacy.

Heero sat in the seat next to Quatre. "What happened?"

"H-he…" Quatre took a deep breath. "He knew I didn't do the tree."

"And I take it he hit you for having someone do it for you?"

Quatre nodded.

"Quatre, I'm so sorry I got you into trouble." Heero wrapped the smaller boy carefully in his arms. He didn't know what else to do. Had he not helped Quatre, he would probably still be in the tree. Either way it seemed that Tony just wanted to beat up his son.

"It's not your fault, Heero. There's something wrong with Tony. I don't know what, but…after the divorce he just kind of…snapped. I…I wish I knew what I was supposed to do but it seems like nothing I do is good enough and he hates me more."

The warning bell rang.

"Are you okay to go in now?"

Quatre nodded. The two boys hurried to their lockers and homeroom. Heero only partially paid attention to his classes as he ruminated over Quatre's desire to earn his father's approval.

By the time lunch rolled around, Heero had a half-baked plan that he wasn't really sure would work. But then, neither had anything else, so he figured it wouldn't be a big deal to try it. However, as the lunch room wasn't the best place for private conversation, he had to settle for keeping it to himself until after school.

"Heero?" He looked up to see Relena Peacecraft.

"Um…yes?"

"Look, I've been trying to ask you if you would go to the Homecoming Dance with me, but none of my messages seem to make it to you." She shot Quatre a quick glare. She'd assumed that he never gave Heero her note.

"Relena, I..." Just then the bell signaling the end of lunch rang. Heero silently thanked whatever deity controlled the school bells. "I have to get to class. Can we discuss this later?" Not waiting for an answer, Heero picked up his tray and walked off, leaving Relena pouting by the table. The others quickly followed suit.

* * *

After basketball practice, they went to Rashid's. Once they'd satisfied their hunger, Heero presented his idea.

"What if Tony caught you making out with a cheerleader?"

"WHAT?! You're crazy, Heero. No cheerleader would ever—"

"Actually I might be able to help you there," Duo broke in. "Hilde would help if I asked her to."

"But Duo, Tony thinks _you're_ dating her."

"True, but that doesn't mean that she can't suggest someone else."

Quatre fell silent as he thought over the idea. "Do…do you really think he'd go for it?"

"It seems to me that you've tried everything else. What would it hurt?" Wufei said quietly.

"But…what if he finds out it was all a trick?" Quatre bit his lip as he raised large eyes to meet Heero's.

"What if he buys it? As Wufei said, what would it hurt? This may sound insensitive, but Tony seems set on hitting you anyway. You haven't tried it before and the worst that will happen is Tony won't buy it, right?" Heero pointed out.

"I guess." Quatre sighed and pushed some ketchup around with a French fry. "I don't have to like it, though."

"Don't worry, Quat. I'm sure we can find a girl who won't want a permanent thing. I'll talk to Hilde tomorrow and see if we can't set something up."


	19. Chapter 18

**Chapter 18**

True to his word, Duo had Hilde join them at their table for lunch the next day. She was a short girl with short dark hair and green eyes. He quickly explained to her that they needed a girl that was willing to make out with Quatre, but wouldn't expect to get any farther or have any kind of serious relationship.

"So let me get this straight. You want me to suggest someone that would be willing to pretend to be Quatre's girlfriend?"

"Yeah, basically. D'you know anyone, Hil?"

Hilde looked Quatre over, frowning as she thought. "Well…."

"Come on, Hil, I know there's gotta be _someone_ you can suggest."

Hilde frowned. "Duo, I'm afraid that most girls wouldn't want a pretend relationship…but…"

"But?"

Hilde sighed. "You could try Dorothy. I don't know if she'd want payment, though."

Duo grimaced as Heero, Trowa and Wufei exchanged looks.

"Is she really the best you can come up with, Hil?"

"Who's Dorothy?" Quatre asked quietly.

"She's…well…she's kind of..." Heero struggled with how to describe her to Quatre.

"She has a reputation for being easy," Wufei supplied.

"Oh." Quatre turned a little pink.

Hilde looked at him and grinned. "Yeah, I think she'd eat him alive. Maybe we should try to find someone else."

They brainstormed and went through every girl in the school. Unfortunately, it all came back to Dorothy. Every other girl they could think of was either in a relationship or would expect too much out of Quatre. Or else they didn't fit the physical description. It wasn't that Quatre was shallow, but Tony was. And they needed someone who was experienced enough to put on a show as needed to keep Tony off Quatre's case.

"It's too bad that you said I was dating Duo. I'd be willing to help you out," Hilde said with a wink.

"Maybe we could convince Tony that Quatre stole you from me," Duo suggested.

"But then he'd expect you two to be fighting and you wouldn't be able to really hang out anymore," Hilde pointed out.

"Hmm…well then that won't work." Duo frowned. "What if you just told Tony that you were someone else, Hil?"

"That wouldn't work, Duo. I might forget and accidentally call her Hilde," Quatre said with a sigh.

"I guess we're stuck trying to get Dorothy then." Duo stood up and scanned the room for Dorothy. He groaned as he realized that she was deep in conversation with the Princess of Pink. "Maybe we can wait until later to talk to her," he said as he sat down.

Lunch was just about over when a shadow fell over the table. "Heero?"

Heero groaned inside his head but he kept his expression neutral. "Yes, Relena?"

"Did you think about what I said yesterday? About Homecoming, I mean?"

Heero was about to refuse her when he saw Dorothy standing behind her. "Um, Relena, can I get back to you? I need to ask Dorothy something and it's kind of important."

Relena frowned and huffed before stalking back to the table she'd come from.

"I hope that you don't expect any favors from me, Heero Yuy," Dorothy said, her voice dripping with disdain. "Relena is my best friend and I don't like to see her slighted."

Heero chose his words very carefully. "Dorothy…I do need a favor from you and if you do it…I'll go to Homecoming with Relena."

"Heero, you don't have to—"

"Quatre, let me handle this," Heero said, giving Quatre a serious look. Turning back to Dorothy he said, "So do we have a deal?"

"Depends on what you need done," Dorothy said. She wasn't about to get suckered into something. She always made sure to get the details up front.

"Well…we'll explain it, but you need to keep it to yourself even if you decide not to do it," Heero said.

Now Dorothy was intrigued. "Okay. What's the deal?"

"We need you to pretend to be Quatre's girlfriend and let his father catch you two making out."

"Is that all?" Dorothy laughed, her high pitched giggle drawing some attention. "Just how long would we need to be dating and how often would we need to get caught?"

"Um…well, we're not sure. It'll depend on his dad's reaction to finding you the first time."

"Very well. We'll discuss the particulars after the first delivery. But you, Heero Yuy, are going to Homecoming with Relena either way."

"Fine."

"So, Quatre darling," Dorothy said, sidling up to Quatre, "just when would you like to get together?"

"Uh…um…well…uh…my dad usually gets home pretty late…around midnight most nights…so um…what works for you?" Quatre was already nervous and they hadn't even done anything yet.

"Well, I don't have a curfew on Friday nights," Dorothy purred in his ear.

Quatre turned pink. "Um…okay…Friday night it is, then."

They set a time and Quatre told her where he lived and he spent the rest of the week dreading Friday.

* * *

****Dorothy arrived at Quatre's house at 9pm sharp, wearing a _very_ short mini skirt and a tank top. Quatre invited her in and he sat nervously next to her on the couch.

"So…um…how exactly…did you want to…do this?" he asked.

Dorothy was all business. "Well, there are a number of ways we can go about it. We can actually start to make out now and risk being done way before your dad shows up. Or we can wait until you hear him drive up and risk having it not look very realistic. Or, and this is the one that I recommend, we can guess about what time he'll be home and start making out a bit beforehand. I also have a few tricks to make it look like we've been going at it for a while."

"Um…okay. Whatever you think." Quatre wasn't sure he liked this idea. It was too close to what Tony was already doing to him. Although, Heero and Duo had made it perfectly clear that there was to be nothing more advanced than second base and even then Dorothy wasn't to push Quatre into doing that if he wasn't comfortable with it.

They watched a movie, waiting for time to pass. Quatre had said that he expected Tony home around midnight, so after eleven, Dorothy started to run her hand through Quatre's hair, messing it up. She also started kissing him, encouraging him to kiss her back. She took his hands and ran them through her own hair, messing it up. She quit kissing him and told him to keep it up for a few minutes. Once their hair was sufficiently tousled, she leaned back on the couch, cushioning her head on a throw pillow.

"Okay, Quatre…now I want you to listen _very_ carefully. In order to make this believable, you need to be in charge. Your hands need to be up under my shirt and you need to grind your hips into mine."

Quatre blushed. "Are…are you sure you're okay with this?"

"Of course. You're much less demanding than some of my other…clients." Dorothy looked at the clock. "It's 11:45…we should start now just in case your dad is a little early."

"Um…okay." Quatre didn't move. He just stared at her, unsure of exactly how to start making out.

She sat up and kissed him. Wrapping her arms around his neck, she pulled him down on top of her, positioning herself so that he was between her legs.

Quatre pulled back a little. "I…uh…I'm not sure about this."

Dorothy smiled patiently at him. "Just relax. I'm not going to hurt you." She pulled her skirt up, revealing her underwear and grabbed his hands and showed him how to touch her under her shirt. "Now come on, Quatre…" She pulled his head down to hers and reclaimed his mouth, grinding her hips into his.

Quatre played along, but inside his head he was screaming that this was a REALLY bad idea. He froze as he heard Tony's car pull up.

"Quatre," Dorothy whispered. "Just think about someone else if it helps."

Quatre took her advice and took charge of the make out session. His mind was so busy imagining dark hair and blue eyes beneath him, he only vaguely registered the front door opening and closing.

"Oh, Quatre…" Dorothy moaned into his mouth.

Tony Winner took in the scene before him. His supposedly gay offspring was on the couch on top of a girl with her skirt pushed up and his hands were fondling her chest. She was running her hands through his hair and moaning his name in ecstasy as he kissed her and it looked like they'd been at it for some time. He smiled to himself. He had known it was just a matter of time before the boy got it right. The girl's hand strayed south into his pants and Tony smiled even wider as his son reacted to her touch.

Quatre's eyes flew open as he fell back into reality at Dorothy's unexpected touch. He broke off the kiss and pulled back.

"I'm…I'm sorry, Dorothy, I got carried away," he said quickly, feeling Tony's eyes on him. "Forgive me?"

"Quatre, baby, you can kiss me like that any time," Dorothy purred.

"Ahem." Tony cleared his throat.

The two teenagers looked at him, adopting guilty expressions at having been caught.

"Son, isn't it a bit late to have a lady over?"

Quatre was stunned. Tony hadn't called him his son since he was ten. Since then it had been "boy" or, if someone else was around, "Quatre." He pulled himself together quickly, though, and answered, "Uh…you're absolutely right, sir. I'm…I'm sorry." He got off of Dorothy, who quickly smoothed down her skirt and shirt, pretending to be embarrassed.

"Well, it's not a school night, so no harm done."

The two teens stood up and Tony introduced himself to Dorothy.

"Hello, there. I'm Tony, Quatre's father." He stuck a hand out and she took it, shaking demurely.

"Um…this is Dorothy, sir," Quatre introduced her.

"Hello, Dorothy. Tell me, how did you meet my son?"

"He was watching his friends at basketball practice and some of us cheerleaders joined him. I'm not the only one that's had my eye on him. I just got lucky and snatched him up before anyone else could."

She slid an arm around his waist and pecked him on the cheek, making him blush a little. "He's so cute when he blushes," Dorothy murmured, rubbing the tip of her nose against his cheek and making him blush even more.

Tony grinned. "Well, I'll let you two say goodnight." He strode up the stairs as Quatre led Dorothy to the door.

Once on the porch he said, "Thanks, Dorothy. I appreciate it."

"Think nothing of it. We had a deal after all. And you really aren't a bad kisser you know."

Quatre could feel his face burning. "Um…thanks. You're not bad yourself."

"Well, I guess I'd better be going. Remind Heero that he's going to Homecoming with Relena and I'll be in touch about any future endeavors."

Quatre nodded. "Goodnight Dorothy."

Quatre went upstairs to find Tony waiting.

"So, son, how long have you known her?"

"Not very long, sir," he answered truthfully, still not believing that Tony was referring to him as 'son.'

"Just needed to find the right one, eh?"

"I guess so, sir."

Tony gave him a warm smile. "Good night, Son." He turned and walked into his room, shutting the door.

Quatre stood in the hall, dazed, for a minute. "Good night…father," he whispered before retreating to his own room. As guilty as he was about deceiving his father, it definitely seemed worth it to have Tony call him his son again. Quatre's only fear was that Tony would find out it was all a lie.


	20. Chapter 19

**Chapter 19**

Quatre woke the next morning to find that Tony hadn't left him a mess to clean up. Since it was Saturday and he apparently had no chores, Quatre went back to sleep. He was awakened a few hours later by the smell of pancakes.

'What the—?' Quatre thought as his mind finally recognized the smell.

Quatre dressed quickly and cautiously checked the upstairs rooms. He found that Tony's bed was already made and the rooms were still clean from the night before. This was definitely not normal. Quatre began to wonder if he was still asleep. Biting his lip in trepidation, Quatre crept down the stairs.

"Good morning, Son. Did you sleep well?" Tony saw him from the kitchen, where he was busy at the stove.

'Okay,' Quatre thought, 'I'm definitely still asleep. Might as well enjoy the dream while I can.'

"Um…yes, sir."

"Good. Good. I made breakfast. Would you like some?"

"Um…yes, sir." Quatre went into the kitchen and Tony gestured for him to sit. Quatre couldn't help but wonder what Tony was up to.

"Here you go," Tony said cheerfully, placing hot pancakes and sausages on Quatre's plate. "Would you like milk or orange juice this morning?"

"Um…milk, please, sir."

Quatre watched carefully as Tony poured him a glass of milk. He wouldn't put it past Tony to poison him. Tony joined him at the table and Quatre ate whatever Tony put in front of him. He wasn't sure whether he should be relieved or afraid, but either way he didn't want to upset Tony at all.

There was a light knock on the door and Quatre immediately got up to answer. Duo gave him a grin as he answered.

"Hey, Quat! Wanna go play some ball?"

"Let me see if I can, Duo."

"Go ahead, Son. I'll clean up," Tony called from the kitchen.

"Um…thank you, sir," Quatre replied, hurrying out the door before Tony could change his mind.

Duo frowned and asked, "What was that about?"

"I'm not sure." Quatre worried his lower lip with his teeth. "He didn't hit me or leave a mess last night _and_ he made me breakfast this morning."

Duo gave a low whistle. "Should I be watching for signs of poisoning?"

"I wouldn't put it past him."

They got to the park and found that Trowa had brought cinnamon rolls and chocolate milk. When Quatre didn't take any, he found himself explaining the weirdness that had gone on since Tony 'caught' him with Dorothy the night before.

"So it worked, then?"

"I guess, Heero. But…I don't know. It still feels wrong. If he finds out—"

"How would he find out? It isn't like he's going to call up Dorothy and ask if you two are still dating, is he?" Duo asked.

"I hope not." Quatre rubbed at his temples. "This is totally uncharted territory. I have no idea what he'll do."

"Well then I guess your only option is to go with it and see what happens," Wufei said.

They played basketball for a while, but Quatre couldn't quite shake the unease that had settled over him. He wasn't sure how long he could convince Tony that he and Dorothy were together.

They had finished playing and were about to head to Rashid's when Wufei got a phone call from his father telling him to go home immediately.

"Well, I guess I'll catch up to you guys later then," Wufei said as he started for his house. He was a little concerned because his father had sounded annoyed. Wufei couldn't think of what he'd done to earn his father's ire this time.

Trowa could tell that his boyfriend wasn't happy about being called home. "Hey guys, would you mind if we didn't go to Rashid's just yet?"

"No problem, Trowa," Heero answered.

"I don't think it would hurt for me to check in at home as well. If Tony changed his mind about giving me chores to do, he might be angry later." Quatre started for home.

Heero looked at Duo and Trowa. "Duo, why don't you and I go with Quatre and Trowa, you can check up on Wufei. We'll try to meet up in an hour to go to Rashid's, okay?"

Trowa nodded and went to his car while Heero and Duo caught up to Quatre. They took their time walking back to Quatre's, not wanting to overtake Wufei and get Quatre in trouble for being seen with the Chinese teen.

Quatre was more than a little nervous when he opened his front door.

"That you, Son?"

"Y-yes, sir."

Tony came out of the kitchen, wiping his hands on a towel. "You boys done playing basketball already?"

"Um, yes, sir. A couple of guys had to leave so we didn't have enough to keep playing."

Tony nodded. "Well, that's too bad." Noticing Heero, Tony held out a hand and said, "I don't believe we've met. I'm Tony, Quatre's father."

Heero took the proffered hand. "Heero Yuy."

"Heero's the other captain of the basketball team," Duo supplied as Tony released Heero's hand.

"Good. Good. I don't suppose Quatre let slip that his birthday is tomorrow?"

Duo gave Quatre a surprised look. "Quatre! How could you forget something like that?"

Quatre ducked his head and turned a little pink. "Um…I…I just forgot," he said quietly.

Tony laughed. "Well, Son, how about I treat you and your friends here to a movie to celebrate tonight?"

Quatre didn't know what to say. Heero and Duo weren't sure how to handle the situation, either. Tony didn't seem to notice as he kept on talking.

"Of course, I've invited the Chang boy as well. I think it's about time you met him, Quatre. His father's told me some good things about him."

"Um…okay, sir." Quatre couldn't believe what he was hearing. Since Tony was in a good mood, Quatre wondered if he could push it just a bit. "Sir? Would it be possible to invite another member of the basketball team? He was going to meet us later for a rematch and I'd hate to have him left out. After all, he is the one that introduced me to Dorothy."

"Of course, Son. Call him up. You boys decide what movie you want to see and I'll drop you off before my poker game tonight."

"Actually, sir," Duo piped up, "Trowa can drive us if you'd like."

Tony considered the offer. "I'll leave it up to you boys. Just let me know when you're ready to go and I'll give Old Chang a call to bring over his boy." Tony went back into the kitchen.

Quatre, Heero and Duo retreated to Quatre's room.

"Okay, now I _know_ something's wrong." Quatre started pacing as Heero and Duo sat on his bed. "He's _never_ offered to take me and my friends anywhere, much less offered to _pay_ for it. And wanting me to hang out with Wufei after telling me to stay away from him? This can't be good." He was close to hyperventilating.

Heero grabbed Quatre's shoulders and made him stop pacing. "Quatre…calm down. Everything will be fine. Tony can't do anything to you while we're here. Maybe he's just trying to make up for treating you so poorly."

"Yeah, Quat. Chillax. Take what you can, while you can get it."

Quatre frowned. "Duo, I—"

Quatre was interrupted by loud knocking on the door. "Son? Did you decide on a movie yet?"

Quatre looked at Heero and Duo. He had no idea what movies were in the theater right now. To keep Tony from thinking he was being ignored, Quatre opened the door.

"Um…not yet, sir. We were still discussing it."

"Alright then. Is your other friend coming?"

Quatre looked at Duo, who was busy texting. "Um…we're not sure. He hasn't responded to Duo's message yet."

Duo looked up and grinned. "He just got back to me. He'll be here in a few minutes."

Tony nodded. "Good. Good. Well, I'll just go give Old Chang a call while you boys figure out what you're going to go see." Tony went down the stairs and Quatre closed the door and leaned against it.

Duo was using his phone to access the theater's website. Quatre didn't have a computer and Duo had NO desire to ever set foot in Tony's office again. Quatre jumped when the doorbell rang. He opened the door and headed downstairs. Heero and Duo waited upstairs, knowing it was either Trowa or Wufei. Quatre appeared a few minutes later with both boys in tow. Trowa had been at the door, but Wufei and his father had walked up just as Quatre was letting Trowa inside. Tony had been introduced to Trowa and then Tony had made it a point to introduce Wufei to Quatre.

As soon as Quatre closed his door Wufei asked, "Just what is going on, Quatre?"

Quatre was about to answer when there was another knock on his door. He opened it.

"Well, boys, what movie are you going to see tonight?"

"The Fast and the Furious 8," Duo answered. "The next showing is in two hours."

"Good. Good," Tony answered. He was somewhat familiar with the movie franchise. He'd only seen two of the films, but if these boys were interested in watching fast cars and scantily clad women he wasn't going to complain. "You boys want to eat before you go?"

"Actually, sir, we were thinking of taking Quatre to Rashid's, seeing as it's his birthday and everything," Heero volunteered.

"What's Rashid's?"

"It's kind of like a soda shop, but they've got pretty good food, too," Duo explained, wishing Tony would just agree so they could escape.

"Sounds good. Here, Son, this should cover everything. You boys go and have a good time." Tony gave Quatre several large bills and followed the boys down the stairs, waving as they piled into Trowa's car and drove off.

"What the HELL was that?" Wufei demanded.

"I wish I knew, Wufei," Quatre answered. He was tired of trying to make everything make sense.

"So, Quat, is it really your birthday tomorrow?"

"Yes." Quatre didn't bother to add that he hadn't actually celebrated his birthday since he turned ten.

"Hmmm…." Duo was plotting, that much was obvious by the sly smirk he couldn't keep off of his face.

* * *

****Rashid brought them a new dish to try out. It was BBQ pulled pork with a side of mashed red potatoes and freshly baked, fluffy biscuits. Quatre explained to Trowa and Wufei as well as he could about Tony as they ate, but admitted that he still didn't know for sure what Tony was up to.

Duo slipped away, to use the bathroom he claimed, and came back with a grin.

Abdul came to clear their dishes and Rashid brought out their dessert. It was hot fudge brownie cake with a scoop of vanilla ice cream on top and the whole thing was smothered in hot fudge. Quatre's piece had a candle in it.

"Make a wish," Rashid said, placing the dish in front of the blonde.

Quatre thought for a second before blowing out the candle.

"So what'd'ya wish for?" Duo asked, taking a bite of the rich dessert.

"Now, Master Duo, you know he isn't supposed to tell," Rashid said with mock disapproval.

"Okay, Rashid…damn this is good. I think you outdid yourself this time."

Rashid grinned at the praise. "Well, you did say it was for a special occasion."

* * *

Quatre was a little tense as he bought the movie tickets. He couldn't shake the feeling that Tony was up to something. He just knew that his father was treating him well so that he could make him even more miserable later.

"Quatre, relax," Heero whispered as they stood in line for popcorn and sodas.

"I don't know if I can, Heero," Quatre replied. "This whole thing is so out of character for Tony that I can't help but wonder if he's just trying to get my guard down."

They got the popcorn and sodas and found seats near the back of the theater. Trowa and Wufei cuddled together as soon as the lights went down.

Quatre sat between Duo and Heero, but he wasn't really paying attention to the movie. His mind was going a mile a minute trying to figure out what Tony was planning. About twenty minutes into the movie, Heero lifted the armrest between them and slipped his arm around Quatre.

"Quatre, relax and enjoy the movie," he whispered. "Even if Tony is up to something, he won't make a scene here. It doesn't do you any good to worry right now."

Quatre found his protests cut off as Heero's lips pressed against his. Quatre let himself melt into Heero's tender contact and allowed the older boy to deepen the kiss. Quatre had never been kissed like that before, but he liked it. The kiss was broken by a need for air and Quatre spent the rest of the movie snuggled into Heero's chest. Quatre smiled to himself, knowing he would always have this memory of Heero and nothing Tony did could change that.


	21. Chapter 20

**A/N: 5000 views and only 8 reviews. I like hearing from you, so if you want to drop a review, good or bad, please do so. :) **

**And feel free to check out my other fics as well. Sandrock's Rhapsody is complete and Silent Witness could use some love. I get that first person/present tense isn't everyone's cup of tea, but give it a shot. You might like it. And if not, you can wait for the companion fic I'm working on. Not sure when that will be ready to start posting, but it's in the works.**

* * *

**Chapter 20**

Sunday morning, Quatre woke to the smell of bacon. Dressing quickly, he again found that he had no chores to complete. He made his way downstairs, still wary of Tony's intentions.

"Happy Birthday, Son. Have a seat and open your presents while I finish making breakfast."

Quatre couldn't believe his ears. He actually had presents to open? He was instantly suspicious but hid it. Obediently, Quatre sat at the table and started opening the first present. It was a large box. Inside was the newest video game system on the market. Quatre's eyes widened. Duo had mentioned wanting one, so it had to be good. Several smaller gifts turned out to be games and accessories for the system.

"Th-thank you, sir. Thank you very much."

"I'm glad you like it. You can have the spare TV from the office so you can play that in your room with your friends. And here's one more for you."

Quatre turned beet red as the last gift turned out to be a box of condoms.

"I don't mind if you have relations with that girlfriend of yours, but I do expect you to be responsible about it."

"Y-yes, sir." Quatre was mortified. Surely Tony wouldn't expect him to actually need those. What if he expected Quatre to use them? He couldn't do it. He just…the thought made him feel ill.

"You haven't gone that far already, have you?" Tony had misread the terror on Quatre's face.

"N-NO…sir. Um…Dorothy and I aren't ready for _that_ just yet." Quatre was still blushing furiously. He could definitely count this as the most awkward conversation he'd ever had with his father. He was grateful when his father brought over the eggs and bacon so he could busy himself with eating instead of talking.

"You know, Son, it seemed to me that she was more than willing," Tony pressed.

Quatre choked on a mouthful of eggs. He managed to stop coughing long enough to drink a little orange juice. "Um…well, I don't want to pressure her, sir. I…I really like her and I don't want to push her away," Quatre lied.

Tony grunted. "Don't tell me you're afraid to take her. It isn't like you don't know how."

Quatre's mind raced, trying to come up with an answer that Tony would accept so that the conversation would stop. "Well, uh, it's not that. She, uh…she said something about waiting for a special occasion."

"Sounds like something a woman would say."

Quatre didn't say anything, silently praying that Tony would just let it drop. They ate in silence. When they were finished, Quatre started to clear the dishes.

"Why don't you let me do that, Son? Go set up your game and give it a try."

"Um…okay. Thank you, sir."

Quatre gathered his presents, including the dreaded box, and went up to his room. He got the spare television from Tony's office and set it up on his dresser. He was hooking up the console when the doorbell rang. Quatre strained his ears as Tony answered the door. A few seconds later he heard footsteps on the stairs and Duo burst into his room.

"Hey, Quat! How's it…HOLY SHIT! When'd you get that?!" Duo was ogling the new game system.

"Um…I got it this morning. I was just hooking it up. Would you like to try it?"

"Hell yeah I would!" Duo looked over Quatre's games and picked a two-player racing game.

They played for a bit before Duo wanted to try another game. Unfortunately for Quatre, he found 'the box.'

"Um…were you aware that this isn't a game?" Duo asked, waving 'the box' around.

Quatre turned crimson. "Duo, put that down."

"Why?" Duo teased.

"Because."

"I didn't think they sold these to minors. Where'd you get 'em?"

"Tony seems to think I'll need them," Quatre mumbled.

Duo laughed. "Oh, man! With who?"

"Dorothy. Who else?" Quatre grumbled.

Duo was rolling on the floor. "Oh, man, this is priceless! So when are you supposed to bang her?"

"Duo must you be so crude?" Quatre had thought this discussion with Tony was uncomfortable. It had nothing on trying to have the conversation with Duo. "To be honest, I told Tony that she wanted to wait for a special occasion." Quatre flopped back on his bed. "I'm going to get caught and he's going to kill me, Duo. There's no way that I could go through with it even if Dorothy agreed."

"Relax, Quat. This is easy to fake. All you gotta do is…" Duo proceeded to tell Quatre exactly how to make it look like he'd gone the distance with Dorothy when he'd really been home alone.

Quatre's eyes were wide. "Y-you can't be serious. I…I couldn't…do that." He was blushing so hard he thought his face would catch on fire.

"Sure you could. Then you just leave it in the trash where Tony's sure to see it and when he asks about it you just tell him that Dorothy was there and left before he got home."

Quatre groaned and covered his face with his hands. "I'm SO dead."

Duo couldn't help but laugh at his friend's discomfort. "It'll be easier than you think. You'll see."

Anything else he was going to say was interrupted by his phone ringing.

"Hey, 'Ro, what's…uh…yeah, he's okay...I uh…got distracted. Well you don't gotta yell! Yeah, yeah, we're coming." Duo hung up. "Geez he's on one today. Come on, Quat, the guys are waitin' for us."

"Why?"

Duo grinned. "It's a surprise."

Quatre had to hurry to keep up with Duo.

"Where are you off to, Son?"

"We thought we'd go play a little ball," Duo supplied.

Tony nodded. "Good. Enjoy yourself, Son."

Quatre nodded and followed Duo out the door and down the street. Trowa, Wufei and Heero were waiting at the corner in Trowa's car.

"What took you so long, Duo?" Heero demanded.

"Tony bought Quat the Sony ZERO and a bunch of games. We were trying it out."

Heero rolled his eyes. "I knew we shouldn't have sent you. You get distracted _way_ too easily Duo."

"Chill out, 'Ro. It isn't like we have a reservation someplace. Besides, we had to discuss what Quat was going to do with the _other_ thing Tony got him."

Quatre turned pink. "Shut up, Duo," he said, elbowing the braided teen.

Heero frowned. "What else did he get you, Quatre?"

"Nothing," Quatre mumbled. "'S'not important."

"Well, I suggest we get going," Wufei said, saving Quatre from Heero's interrogation. "We haven't got all day, you know."

They loaded into Trowa's car.

"Where are we going?" Quatre asked, thankful for Wufei's intervention.

"It's a surprise," Trowa said as he started up the car.

Trowa drove to the outskirts of town and pulled into a place called Toad's Fun Zone.

"You ever been here before, Quat?" Duo asked.

"No. I've never even heard of it."

Duo grinned. "Awesome. You're gonna love it!"

Toad's had a climbing wall, batting cages, indoor and outdoor mini golf courses, laser tag, an arcade and a go cart track. Heero paid for their five hour unlimited passes and asked Quatre what he'd like to do first.

They started with the go carts. Quatre supposed he shouldn't have been surprised at how competitive his friends were. Duo cut off Trowa and Quatre was afraid the two would crash with the way they were driving. Heero and Wufei were more sensible about their driving, until Duo started taunting Heero.

"You drive like an old lady, 'Ro! Why don't you leave the driving to the real men?"

Heero's eyes narrowed and he took off, pushing the go cart to its limit. He quickly overtook Duo and managed to keep the loud mouthed teen from getting past him again, much to Duo's annoyance. They played a round of laser tag, which Wufei won by utilizing the mirrors to bounce his laser off of. Every time Duo was shot he dropped to the ground and made a production of 'dying' by twitching grotesquely and coming to a stop once his vest had reset. Quatre wasn't sure if it was funny or disturbing. The only thing he was sure of was that Duo was twisted.

After the laser tag they took a break and ate a pizza. Trowa and Wufei wanted to try the climbing wall, so Quatre watched while the others tried it. There was no way he was going to willingly climb forty feet high, especially after eating. Trowa made it to the top first. Duo teased him about being part monkey.

They decided to try the miniature golf courses next. Quatre used his knowledge of geometry to win. He tried to explain to Duo how to bounce the ball off of the different hazards to get it to the hole, but Duo still lost miserably.

The batting cages were Duo's strength. Quatre was lucky to hit one out of ten on the easy setting, but Duo hit everything the machine threw at him and even turned up the difficulty level on it. They headed back inside to play some of the arcade games. Between the five of them they won enough tickets to get a mini stereo, which they gave to Quatre because it was his birthday and he didn't have a stereo. They played a few more rounds of laser tag and had another go on the go carts before their passes ran out.

"That was a blast. We should totally do that again sometime," Duo said as they piled into Trowa's car.

"Did you have fun, Quatre?"

"Yes, Heero. Thank you very much."

The Japanese teen nodded, trying not to show how pleased he was that the blonde had enjoyed himself. His enjoyment had made the afternoon worth every penny. He would have to keep the place in mind as a potential date night. The indoor miniature golf course had a few dark corners that he wouldn't mind exploring with the smaller boy.


End file.
